Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi, Alexia Putellas headline winners for soccer's top honor
After a one-year hiatus, the Ballon d'Or awards are back — with Lionel Messi and Alexia Putellas taking home some major hardware.
Recognizing the best men's and women's soccer players from the past year, French news magazine France Football tallied the votes and revealed the winner during a ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
And the stars were out in full force.
Along with the Kopa Trophy — given to the best player under the age of 21 — and the Yashin Trophy — given to the best goalkeeper — the publication unveiled two new awards at Monday's gala: Club of the Year and Striker of the Year.
The former award goes to the club with the most players nominated, while the latter is for the top scorer for club and country combined.
Here are the winners from the event's biggest categories:
Men's Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi, FW, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain
Other top-five finalists: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Jorginho (Chelsea), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea)
The details: Another year, another top honor for the player many consider to be the GOAT. Messi's seventh Ballon d'Or extends his own record-setting streak. Messi made headlines all year, switching from the one club he'd known for his entire professional career to join PSG in the summer of 2021. That summer also marked a massive triumph for Messi on the international stage: finally winning a major trophy with Argentina at the Copa América.
Women's Ballon d'Or: Alexia Putellas, MF, Barcelona
Other top-five finalists: Jennifer Hermoso (Barcelona), Sam Kerr (Chelsea), Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal), Lieke Martens (Barcelona)
The details: The second-leading goal-scorer in Barcelona's women's team history, Putellas won her first Ballon d'Or award. The 27-year-old scored 26 goals in 42 games for Barcelona, helping the club win three trophies this year. Her 2021 was also highlighted by becoming the Spanish women's national team's most-capped player, topping the previous record of 90 appearances.
Kopa Trophy: Pedri, MF, Barcelona
Other top-five finalists: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Nuno Mendes (Sporting CP, Paris Saint-Germain), Mason Greenwood (Manchester United)
The details: The freshly turned 19-year-old (his birthday is Nov. 25) burst through with a sensational debut 2020-21 season for Barcelona. He already has 56 appearances in all competitions for the Spanish giants under his belt, with four goals and six assists to his name. He has also worked his way into the Spanish national team, making his senior team debut on March 25 and earning 10 appearances already for La Furia Roja. At June's Euros, he became the youngest player ever to represent Spain, at 18 years, six months and 18 days old.
Yashin Trophy: Gianluigi Donnarumma, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain
Other top-5 finalists: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid), Ederson (Manchester City), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
The details: The 22-year-old Donnarumma had a fantastic year. Although his goalkeeping exploits with Milan and later PSG deserve acclaim, it was his summer showing for Italy that sent him into the stratosphere. For his national team, Donnarumma helped Italy win the Euro 2020 tournament, winning the Player of the Tournament award after he showed out in the penalty shootout to decide the final.
Striker of the Year: Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich
The details: Lewandowski scored a whopping 64 goals for club and country in 2021, per Squawka. The Polish forward broke the single-season goal-scoring record in the Bundesliga, with 41 goals in 29 games for the 2020-21 season. Despite being 33 years of age, Lewy remains one of the most fearsome forwards in the game.
Club of the Year: Chelsea
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
