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Updated August 18th, 2021 at 22:52 IST

John Terry backs Paul Pogba's pick for Ballon d'Or winner; it's not Messi or Ronaldo

Paul Pogba and John Terry give their opinion on who will win the elusive Ballon d'Or award this year after the accolade was not given last year due to COVID.

Reported by: Vidit Dhawan
Paul Pogba, John Terry, Ballon d'Or
Image: AP | Image:self
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Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba and Chelsea legend John Terry believe that N'Golo Kante deserves to win the Ballon d'Or over Lionel Messi. With the resumption of Europe's top footballing leagues, the biggest talking point over the past few weeks has been who will win the Ballon d'Or. Reports suggest that Lionel Messi is the favourite to win his seventh Ballon d'Or. However, Pogba and Terry believe otherwise.

Paul Pogba and John Terry insist N’Golo Kante deserves Ballon d'Or

In 11 of the previous 12 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the Ballon d'Or. The only year when another player won the elusive award was Real Madrid's Luka Modric in 2018. The Ballon d'Or award would be handed out after two years since it was cancelled last year due to the COVID pandemic.

Both Paul Pogba and John Terry believe that Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante would be voted as the Ballon d'Or winner after an impressive season with Chelsea last year. The French midfielder was fantastic as he helped his side win the Champions League. Kante was also the Man of the Match for his performance in the final against Manchester City.

Speaking before the Champions League final last season, Pogba said,

"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 midfielder 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."

Chelsea legend Terry also was of the same opinion as he said,

"Kante's like 11 players on his own. What he does, he goes so under the radar. He is such a top-class player. I'd love to go see him win the Ballon d’Or or get the appreciation that I feel he deserves. He's such a humble guy. He just goes about his business and keeps out of any trouble."

However, one of the factors that determine who wins the Ballon d'Or award is the number of trophies they win in the year. This criterion may go against Kante because of France's disappointing performance at Euro 2020. Les Blues were knocked out of the Round of 16 by Switzerland. As a result of these criteria, several experts suggest Jorginho has a chance to win the award as he won both Euro 2020 and the Champions League.

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Published August 18th, 2021 at 22:52 IST

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