Kevin De Bruyne, the Manchester City playmaker, is said to have passed over Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Chelsea duo of Jorginho and N’GoloKante in his nomination for the Ballon d’Or prize.
Messi is largely expected to win his ninth Ballon d’Or, but Jorginho is also being discussed owing to his significant role in Chelsea’s Champions League victory and Italy’s success in the 2020 European Championships.
While Messi and Ronaldo will always be contenders for the honor, Kevin De Bruyne believes Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski should take home the prize.
While speaking ahead of City’s trip to Club Brugge, he said: “If I had to choose myself personally, I’m going to look at a two-year period, because we didn’t have anyone [last year]. I’d choose Lewandowski for what he has done in the last two years – goalscoring-wise, and also he’s won a lot with Bayern. He would be my pick.”
Over the last three years, Lewandowski has established himself as the top striker in the world, scoring 41 goals in a single season, breaking Gerd Muller’s previous record of 40. He led his team to victory in the UEFA Champions League in 2020, as well as the Club World Cup, Bundesliga, Super Cup, DFB Pokal, and FIFA Best Men’s Player Award.
Kevin De Bruyne started his career in Genk, where he was a regular player when the team won the Belgian Pro League in 2010–11. He joined Chelsea in 2012, where he was played rarely before being loaned to Werder Bremen. De Bruyne joined Manchester City for a club-record £54 million in the summer of 2015. With the club, he has won three Premier League crowns, five League Cups, and one FA Cup.
He made his full international debut in 2010, and since then, he has won over 80 caps for Belgium and scored 22 goals. He was a member of the Belgian teams who advanced to the quarterfinals of both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 UEFA Euro. He was chosen to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team after representing Belgium in the 2018 FIFA World Cup when they won the third-place play-off match against England.
