The 65th edition of the France Football Magazine Ballon d’Or was held on Monday in Paris with Lionel Messi winning the 2021 award.
That took his number of Ballon d’Or awards to seven after those won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019.
Only one African player – George Weah of Liberia – has won the accolade back in 1995 as an AC Milan player having spent the first half of that year at PSG.
Historically the prestigious award has been dominated by European and North American footballers and aside Weah, no other player outside the European and North American continents has ever laid his hands on the Golden Ball.
Will we ever see another African footballer win the award?
The highest ranked African in the 2021 awards was Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah who placed 7th among the 30 nominated players.
Algeria and Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez was placed 20th.
