Paul Pogba was on the N’Golo Kanté Ballon d’Or hype train before most, going back as far as 2018 at least, when they won the World Cup together with France.
Now that Kanté’s a Champions League-winner as well, he might actually have a chance as well however, especially if momentum keeps building for him just as it has been since last Saturday — press talk can be useless, but since it’s the press who (mainly) vote for this thing (alongside national team coaches and captains), the more chatter there is, the better his chances will be in what is ultimately a political popularity contest.
2021 belongs to N’Golo Kanté so far. That’s why he is the main contender currently to win the the Ballon d'Or. @ESPNFC https://t.co/DOxfq3T4KD
— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) June 3, 2021
Should France win the Euros this summer, he would surely have to, right? For Pogba, it would be more than well deserved and overdue already.
“What I would like to say to the whole world is that the ‘NG’ we have seen in recent months has always been the same. We talk a lot about his performances but he has always been as good as ever.
“There was no Cristiano and Messi in the semi-final, so it’s good to see the performances of the midfielders or even the defenders.
“I said a long time ago that it would be appropriate, if Chelsea won, for him to win the Ballon d’Or. It would be deserved too.”
After last year’s canceled award due to the pandemic, the 2021 Ballon d’Or should be announced some time in early December.