Ballon d'Or 2021 Power Rankings: A new leader emerges as Ronaldo slides again

So by using their performances so far as well as predictions of what is likely still come in 2021, who holds the most power in the early stages of this year's race?

Goal ranks the runners and riders...

 

Last week: 15th

2021: 11 goals, three assists.

Tottenham Hotspur entered the game as one of the favorites to win the Europa League, and by Friday morning they were eliminated from the fiasco against Dinamo Zagreb.

Kane can still get the silverware at the club and international level at the end of the season, but there is no doubt that leaving Europe in the final months of the campaign will hurt his chances of winning a personal award.

#19 Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Last week: 15th

2021: Four goals, one assist. Won the Trophee des Champions.

Neymar took action again in PSG's victory over Lyon on Sunday night, but now he faces a situation where he must catch up to catch up with last year's UEFA Champions League champion Bayern Munich's defeat.

If he can do it, please expect the Brazil international to make it into the top ten.

#18 N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Last week: NEW ENTRY

2021: Two assists

After the elimination of Atletico Madrid in the past 16 years and the favorable record of other members of the Champions League, this list feels incomplete without a Chelsea representative.

A lot of players were considered, but Kanter got a nod because a) he played a leading role in the high-profile defeat of Atletico Madrid, and b) he will be a key figure in the popular player of the 2020 European Championship this summer.