The Argentine wizard – as predicted by GOAL – won his seventh Golden Ball on November 29, beating the Bayern Munich star into second place
After being cancelled in 2020, the Ballon d'Or returned with a bang in 2021 as the great and good of the football world again eyed the biggest individual honour the game has to offer.
In the end, it was Lionel Messi who walked away with his seventh Golden Ball, beating Robert Lewandowski into second place when the results were announced by in Paris on November 29.
GOAL has been ranking the contenders for the prize since March, and now the official standings have been confirmed, check out how many we got right (and wrong!)…
Learn all about the best free bets offers in the UK with our extensive guideGetty20Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
In terms of silverware, Lautaro Martinez could not have hoped for a better 2021, as he first scored crucial goals to help Inter win their first Serie A title for 11 years before playing a similarly key role for Argentina as they claimed the Copa America trophy.
Despite not being the face of either campaign, there is no doubt that the 24-year-old was deserving of his place on the Ballon d'Or shortlist.
AdvertisementGetty Images19Nicolo Barella (Inter)
Another who combined winning the Scudetto with lifting an international trophy was Nicolo Barella, who with a more well-known name around the world might have found himself higher up these and the official rankings.
The Italy star was one of the Azzurri's most consistent performers through Euro 2020, and if he is able to add more goals to his game going forward then he could become the complete midfield package.
Getty18Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Neymar's dream of winning the Ballon d'Or looks to be slipping away from the Brazil star after another year where he combined some brilliant performances with more injuries and disappointment in the biggest games of all.
Winning two domestic cups in a calendar year is not befitting of the world's most expensive player, and he found himself way down the pecking order when the final rankings were revealed.
Getty Images17Harry Kane (Tottenham)
It has been a funny year for Harry Kane, who finished as the player with both the most goals and most assists in the 2020-21 Premier League season, captained England to the Euro 2020 final and was one of the most coveted players during the summer transfer market.
And yet, after his slow start to the current campaign and still being without a major trophy to his name, it feels like his career is, for the first time, beginning to stall.
An intriguing 2022 awaits.