It’s that time of the year where football fans hold their breath to find out which one of their favourite players will win the most prestigious individual prize in football, the Ballon d’Or. The award ceremony finally makes its return this year after the 2020 COVID-19-related cancellation.

An absolute favourite for football fans around the world, the 65th ceremony will be broadcast on 29 November and Showmax Pro subscribers are set to catch all the action live. With all of the favourites for the award being regulars on local TV screens, fans will be eagerly waiting to see who will claim the most prestigious individual award in football.

After winning the Ballon d’Or trophy in 2019, Lionel Messi is the current holder of the award and now 2021 front runner alongside Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea’s midfielder, Jorginho. Messi’s 2019 win came after he played 48 games, scored 40 goals and led Argentina to their first Copa America title since 1993.

In 2021, Messi scored 41 goals, made 14 assists, and won Copa America and Copa del Rey. Lewandowski scored 63 goals, made 10 assists, and won Bundesliga, Club World Cup and DFL-Supercup, while Jorginho scored eight goals, made three assists, and won Euro 2020, Champions League and UEFA Super Cup.

Here’s the full list of nominees: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Jorginho (Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham), N’Golo Kante (Chelsea), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Pedri (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)