Lionel Messi is the hot favourite to win the seventh Ballon d'Or of his glittering career when the ceremony for the prestigious award takes place in Paris tonight. There are a total of 30 players in the running, including 14 Premier League stars such as Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and England and Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount.
Yet it is Messi who has the shortest odds with most bookmakers following a superb 2021 in which he often single-handedly carried Barcelona before his move to PSG and also guided Argentina to a Copa America triumph in the summer.
But Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski may feel aggrieved if he once again misses out on the prize, with the Pole having netted a sensational 41 goals in the Bundesliga last season.
Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema and Chelsea's Jorginho are two of the other outsiders to take home the trophy, but the reality is that it will now come as a big surprise if Messi is not the winner.
The Ballon d'Or ceremony returns tonight after being cancelled in 2020 due to Covid, and you can expect to see some of the most famous faces from the world of football present at Paris' Theatre du Chatelet.
Follow all the latest from the French capital right here...
Lionel Messi has won a seventh Ballon d'Or award. (Image: Getty)
Ballon d'Or LIVE
Lionel Messi wins record seventh award in Paris
Jorginho finishes third but Mohamed Salah doesn't make top five
PSG are also ecstatic, and unsurprisingly so. You sign (arguably) the greatest to ever do it and expect to take centre stage on nights like this.
Lionel Messi is the French giants' first ever Ballon d'Or winner, and I'd bet good money to suggest he won't be the last.
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Robert Lewandowski wins the Striker of the Year award
Robert Lewandowski gets his moment!
The Bayern Munich superstar has won the 2021 Striker of the Year award after finishing last season as the top goalscorer across Europe's top domestic leagues.
He finished the 20/21 campaign with an incredible 41 Bundesliga goals, breaking Gerd Muller's 49-year record.
At international level, Lewandowski netted nine goals in 11 games for Poland last season and became the nation's first player to score at three successive European Championships.
Don't worry, I haven't fallen asleep. I'll provide the updates you really want as they come, but what would a ceremony be if the presenters didn't drag proceedings along?
Those presenters are Chelsea legend Didier Drogba and journalist Sandy Heribert.
With the Eiffel Tower glistening in the backdrop, Kylian Mbappe has made his presence known in Paris. He will be among the top 10 after another impressive year.
The 22-year-old has unsurprisingly been tipped to eventually win the award, but whether that will be at PSG is a mystery...
If transfer murmurs are to be believed, he could be Real Madrid's next Ballon d'Or hero after Cristiano Ronaldo won four in the Spanish capital.
Even though the ceremony doesn't commence until 7:30pm, France Football have been counting down towards the top 10 nominees this afternoon.
2018 winner Luka Modric is joint-29th with Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, while Nicolo Barella, Gerard Moreno and 2020/21 Premier League Player of the Season Ruben Dias are joint-26th.
Exciting starlets Phil Foden and Pedri are 25th and 24th respectively, England captain Harry Kane is 23rd and Bruno Fernandes is joint-21st with Lautaro Martinez.
We're just under one hour away from the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony commencing in the city of romance, Paris.
And Messi's romance with the Ballon d'Or could continue tonight, with the Argentine icon widely expected to receive the seventh of his illustrious career.
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