MY ACCOUNT
The Ballon d’Or is the greatest individual honour a footballer can receive.
Presented by France Football, the award has been a yearly ceremony for men’s football since 1956 — providing 44 different winners.
The women’s accolade was introduced in 2018, with Ada Hegerberg and Megan Rapinoe taking the two titles so far.
After the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ballon d’Or ceremony returns on November 29.
Read on as we run the rule over the 20 players in line for the women’s award.
Stina Blackstenius (BK Hacken, Sweden)
Stina Blackstenius has scored 17 goals in 21 matches in 2021, with Hacken finishing second in the Women’s Swedish League this season.
The 25-year-old also represented Sweden at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the summer, scoring five goals.
Blackstenius scored in the gold medal match against Canada but her side could only claim a silver medal at the games.
Kadidiatou Diani (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
After winning the French League title with Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Kadidiatou Diani was named the Player of the Year in France.
The French international scored 13 times in 19 appearances in the 2020-21 campaign, assisting nine along the way.
Christiane Endler (Lyon, Chile)
Although she joined Lyon in the summer, Christiane Endler’s nomination comes from her stellar efforts in goal for PSG during the 2020-21 season.
Endler, 30, only conceded four goals during PSG’s title charge — a remarkable achievement.
The Chilean won the Goalkeeper of the Year award and kept 19 clean sheets in 22 domestic league matches.
Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea, Sweden)
One of seven Women’s Super League nominations, Magdalena Eriksson played a huge role in helping Chelsea win the title in 2021, as well as reaching the Champions League final.
Eriksson featured alongside Blackstenius as Sweden took silver in Tokyo in the summer Olympics but it was her magnificent performances as part of Chelsea’s defence that saw her named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Jessie Fleming (Chelsea, Canada)
Jessie Fleming was one of Europe’s most decorated players last season.
Alongside Eriksson, Fleming won the WSL and Continental Cup with Chelsea before claiming a gold medal with Canada at the Olympics.
The 23-year-old has only been with the Blues for one season, but she has already announced herself as a star midfielder in England.
Pernille Harder (Chelsea, Denmark)
Pernille Harder has held the tag of the world’s most expensive female footballer since her move from Chelsea to Wolfsburg.
Harder, 29, scored nine goals and registered three assists for the London club last season — she was a key contributor to Chelsea’s domestic success in 2021.
Jennifer Hermoso (Barcelona, Spain)
Barcelona and Chelsea both have five nominees for the Ballon d’Or, with Jennifer Hermoso being one of the Catalan club’s finest players.
The 31-year-old striker scored 35 league goals for Barca as the Spanish giants won the Primera Division and Copa de la Reina in 2021.
Hermoso was the joint top scorer in the Champions League last term, helping Blaugrana become the first Spanish side to win a European trophy.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Marie Antionette Katoto was PSG’s most lethal finisher in their title triumph last season.
Katoto scored 21 goals and finished as the second-highest scorer in the league.
The 23-year-old went on to score her first-ever international hat-trick in a 10-0 win over Greece.
Sam Kerr (Chelsea, Australia)
Australia’s all-time leading goalscorer Sam Kerr is Chelsea’s fourth nominee for the Ballon d’Or.
Kerr, 28, won the WSL Golden Boot in Chelsea’s title-winning campaign last season, netting 21 goals in 22 appearances.
Fran Kirby (Chelsea, England)
Fran Kirby was sidelined from football for nearly a year after she suffered from illness in 2019.
The Chelsea forward returned to score 16 goals and provide 11 assists by the end of the 2020-21 WSL campaign.
The 28-year-old was named the FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year and PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year in 2021.
Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain, Canada)
Ashley Lawrence is another recipient of an Olympic gold medal for her work in the Canadian team during the summer.
Lawrence, 26, was also instrumental in helping PSG end Lyon’s 14-year title-winning streak.
Lieke Martens (Barcelona, Netherlands)
Barcelona achieved an outstanding continental treble last season and Lieke Martens proved pivotal in their success.
The forward tallied an astonishing 20 goals and 16 assists for her club and was part of a Netherlands side that won the European Championships in 2017.
Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage, United States)
Samantha Mewis spent the last campaign on loan to Manchester City, where she won the FA Cup after beating Everton in the final.
The 29-year-old scored 16 goals in all competitions and stands alone as the only United States international to feature on this year’s shortlist.
Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal, Netherlands)
Vivianne Miedema continued to fire for Arsenal North London club despite their poor form in the WSL last season.
The striker scored 18 times, with only Kerr scoring more than her.
During the campaign, the 25-year-old netted her 100th goal for the Gunners before becoming the WSL’s all-time top goalscorer.
Sandra Panos (Barcelona, Spain)
Sandra Panos has played an important role as Barcelona’s goalkeeper in the last two years.
The Spanish stopper was featured in the Champions League team of the season after her side defeated Chelsea 4-0 in the final.
Irene Paredes (Barcelona, Spain)
Irene Paredes made the switch from PSG to Barcelona in the summer after being heavily involved in PSG’s title success.
Paredes, 30, is Spain captain and was named as the Champions League defender of the season, helping PSG proceed to the semi-finals of the competition.
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain)
Another recipient of three winners medals for Barcelona last season, Alexia Putellas was firing on all fronts last season.
Putellas scored in the Champions League final and added 25 more to her tally as the 27-year-old became the highest-scoring midfielder in Europe last season.
She was named UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and was included in the Champions League team of the season.
Wendie Renard (Lyon, France)
Wendie Renard had an impressive individual campaign for Lyon in 2020-21.
Despite a lack of silverware for the first time in 15 years, the 31-year-old was still an integral part of her side, who conceded only six times in the previous term.
Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns, Canada)
Christine Sinclair is the third and final Canadian nomination for the 2021 Ballon d’Or.
The 38-year-old has over 300 caps for her country and has scored in five separate World Cups.
She scored six times for Portland Thorns as her side won the National Women’s Soccer League in 2020-21.
Ellen White (Manchester City, England)
Rounding off our list is Manchester City star Ellen White.
White, 32, won England Women’s Player of the Year award for the third time after a prolific season for her side.
The forward scored 10 goals in 2020-21 and netted a hat-trick for Team GB in the Olympic quarter-finals against Australia.
