Leaked lists of the 2021 Ballon d’Or standings have gone viral on social media showing two different winners, so which one is real? Or are they both fake?
Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi have both been declared winners of the 2021 Ballon d’Or.
Amid reports that France Football has decided the Ballon d’Or winner, leaks have gone viral on social media claiming to know the victor and the final standings ahead of next month’s ceremony in Paris.
In the first of the aforementioned images, Lewandowski takes home the big prize. The Pole leads the way with 627 votes, while Messi is in second on 588 votes and Karim Benzema finishes third with 526 votes.
Mohamed Salah comes home in a respectable fourth, although Cristiano Ronaldo finishes down in ninth with just 49 votes.
The weird thing about this one is that Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta’s name appears twice on the list – 25th on five points and 27th on four points.
But to add to the uncertain validity of this alleged document, others have emerged claiming that it’s Messi – not Lewandowski – who has won the Ballon d’Or for the seventh time.
Assuming this list is real, the Paris Saint-Germain star edges his nearest rival by just 14 votes. Benzema is again third, Jorginho is fourth, and Ronaldo climbs four places higher into fifth.
France Football will reveal who actually won the Ballon d’Or in Paris on November 29.