Ballon d'Or 2021: Lionel Messi names two PSG teammates he would vote for the elusive award

Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) new summer signing Lionel Messi named two teammates he would vote for to win the elusive Ballon d'Or 2021. France Football magazine recently revealed the 30 nominees of the trophy on late Friday evening.

The deadly PSG trio of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are all included in the shortlist alongside five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Bayern Munich star striker Robert Lewandowski. Reports suggest that the likes of Messi, Lewandowski and Jorginho are among the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or 2021.

Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi names two teammates he would vote for

In a candid chat with France Football, six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi revealed the names of two PSG teammates he would vote for. "I have two players from my team that I will obviously vote for: Neymar and Kylian [Mbappe]," said the Argentine forward. In the same conversation, the former Barcelona player also admitted that Robert Lewandowski has had an outstanding season.

Lionel Messi continues to deliver staggering numbers

Lionel Messi is once again amongst the favourites to clinch the Ballon d'Or 2021 award. The 34-year old tasted glory in Argentine colours for the first time when his side defeated Brazil in the Copa America final earlier this year. Messi also finished as the tournament's top scorer with four goals. Moreover, he also scored a staggering 38 goals and 14 assists across all competitions for Barcelona last season. Despite his heroics, Barcelona only managed to win the Copa del Rey trophy last season.

Ballon d'Or 2021 nominees

GOALKEEPERS

1) Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)

DEFENDERS

2) Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)

3) Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

4) Simon Kjær (AC Milan)

5) Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)

6) Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

MIDFIELDERS

7) N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)

8) Mason Mount (Chelsea)

9) Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)

10) Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

11) Pedri (Barcelona)

12) Luka Modric (Real Madrid)

13) Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

14) Jorginho (Chelsea)

15) Phil Foden (Manchester City)

FORWARDS

16) Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)

17) Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)

18) Harry Kane (Tottenham)

19) Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

20) Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

21) Lionel Messi (PSG)

22) Neymar (PSG)

23) Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

24) Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

25) Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

26) Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)

27) Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

28) Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

29) Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)

30) Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)