2021 Ballon d’Or Opening Odds Favor Lionel Messi at -250; Ronaldo & Lewandowski +700

• Following Argentina’s Copa America triumph, Lionel Messi is the odds-on betting favorite to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or
• Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski share the second-best odds at +700
• Read below for the opening 2021 Ballon d’Or odds and betting discussion

The opening 2021 Ballon d’Or odds feature three familiar names at the top. Led by Lionel Messi at -250, the betting tabs Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski as the joint-second favorites to win the award. N’Golo Kante and Harry Kane follow at +800 and +900 respectively.

There will be plenty of Ballon d’Or odds movement in the coming months, of course. There’s a lot of football to be played before votes are cast, yet this hefty lead for Messi is going to be hard to make up for the chasing pack.

2021 Ballon d’Or Odds

Odds as of Jul 20 at William Hill

Messi Does It With Argentina

In the career of arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, the lack of international success has been a prominent storyline. That changed this summer. Messi was his majestic best as Argentina won the Copa America. Awarded Best Player and finishing as joint-top scorer in the competition, this was a magical moment after a difficult year or so for Messi.

Barcelona has been in turmoil. Rumors about his future have been continuous. The Copa America success ticks off the one remaining box on Messi’s resume, and it has been followed by news of a new long-term contract at the Camp Nou.

Lionel Messi's picture with the Copa America trophy is now the most-liked post of all time from an athlete on Instagram 👑 pic.twitter.com/FpEsmu4TTY

— GOAL (@goal) July 18, 2021

The all-time leader, having won the award six times, it has taken a historic year to stop Messi from winning the Ballon d’Or over the last decade-plus. His production remains as spectacular as ever, even with Barcelona far from their dominating best. International success can often prove a difference-maker in Ballon d’Or voting (as it did with Luka Modric three years ago). There are minimal signs of decline in Messi’s game, and when paired with the relief of Copa America glory, it’s easy to see why he’s at such a short price in the opening odds.

Lewandowski Over Ronaldo

Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo require sensational goal scoring in the second half of the year if they are to rival Messi. Even so, it seems unfair to have them at the same price. This might be an individual award, but team success matters to voters. Ronaldo’s Juventus narrowly snuck into the top four of Serie A, and Portugal fell in the last 16 of the Euros.

👏 Robert Lewandowski knows Lionel Messi is the GOAT.#FCBarcelona | #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/SF51X8CB5x

— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) July 14, 2021

Bayern winning the league might be viewed as a foregone conclusion, but their dominance in Germany surely puts Lewandowski ahead of Ronaldo at this stage. The former Dortmund man may have won the Ballon d’Or if it was handed out in 2020. Ronaldo being at the same price as Lewandowski is about reputation more than 2021 performance.

Kante Can Still Compete

There was a compelling Ballon d’Or case building for N’Golo Kante before the Euros. The former Leicester man was sensational throughout Chelsea’s Champions League run, outplaying some of the world’s best midfielders on the biggest club stage of all. There’s a sense, though, that France’s early exit from the Euros knocked Kante out of Ballon d’Or contention.

5 years ago today, Chelsea signed N'Golo Kanté 😁

FA Cup 🏆
Premier League 🏆
Champions League 🏆
Europa League 🏆
World Cup 🏆

Natural. Born. Winner. pic.twitter.com/1zrLGs4CMU

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) July 16, 2021

If France had repeated their World Cup success with Kante again as an integral player, he would have been a much shorter price in the opening odds. While this is an award that has traditionally been skewed heavily towards goal scorers, Modric’s win in 2018 shows there is a willingness among voters to reward the best midfield players even if their goal and assist numbers are unspectacular.

Ballon d’Or Best Bet

Of the eight players in reasonable contention behind Messi, Kante represents the best value for bettors. Chelsea are champions of Europe, and it’s not unfeasible for Thomas Tuchel’s side to be at the top of the Premier League by the time voters have to make their decision. Kante is going to get a fair bit of Ballon d’Or recognition.

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni tweeted this picture of Lionel Messi vs. Chile from the 2016 Copa America final after that match. He wrote "This image says it all… Don't go Lio".

And 5 years later, Scaloni coached Messi and Argentina to a Copa America win. Poetic. https://t.co/QNi4KyD4sS

— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) July 20, 2021

http://webbanki.ru
It’s just impossible to look past Messi. Barcelona still has plenty to work out, but they are making signings that should help them compete in both La Liga and the Champions League. Messi remains the best player in the world, and lifting the Copa America might have given him an unassailable lead in the 2021 Ballon d’Or race. It’s his award to lose.

Best bet: Lionel Messi (-250)