🔴 As it happened: Lionel Messi wins record seventh Ballon d'Or | OneFootball

The wait is over, the winner of the Ballon d’Or 2021 will be announced tonight.

We will also find out who will be taking home the Ballon d’Or Féminin, the Kopa Trophy for best under-21 player and the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper.

Follow it all live with us here.

21:54: For the seventh time!

21:53: And the Ballon d’Or 2021 winner is …

21:50: European Champions Chelsea have won the second inaugural award of the night: The ‘Club of the Year’ award – with the most individuals (11) nominated amongst the various categories.

21:48: Which leaves the 2021 Ballon d’Or to be decided between Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.

21:47: And in third …

21:46: In fourth …

21:45: In fifth place is …

21:40: Jorginho, N’Golo Kanté, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema are left, but who will be the winner?

21:37: We will soon find out how the Ballon d’Or 2021 top five is placed.

21:35: This is how the Yashin Trophy award broke down …

21:32: And the winner is …

21:31: We’re about to find out who has won the ‘Yashin Trophy’ – the award given to the best goalkeeper.

21:29: Cristiano Ronaldo comes in sixth place!

21:28: Back to the men’s countdown and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne ranks at eighth place, while Mohamed Salah comes in seventh.

21:24: This is just a snippet of what the Ballon d’Or Féminin 2021 winner is capable of …

21:22: What a year she has had!

21:20: And the winner is … Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas!

21:15: Now it’s time to find out who has won the 2021 Ballon d’Or Féminin …

21:11: It’s the lowest Mbappé has ranked since he burst on to the scene to be in the reckoning for the award.

21:05: Back to the Ballon d’Or countdown, and in 10th and 9th position are:

21:00: The first of the new ‘bonus awards’ of the evening have been given out, as Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski has been awarded the ‘Striker of the Year’ accolade.

20:55: What a future the Barcelona midfielder has ahead of him.

20:52: Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and Bayern Munich forward Jamal Musiala finished just behind Pedri in second and third respectively.

20:50: And the Kopa Trophy goes to … Pedri!

20:45: Now it’s time for the real business, the first of the awards to be handed out will be the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best player under the age of 21.

20:40: The actual Ballon d’Or trophies have now arrived in the building, to dramatic music. They know how to make an entrance.

20:30: The ceremony is about to begin, and after a one-year absence the most prestigious prize in football is up for grabs.

20:20: Here he is …

19:55: We are getting ever so closer to the big reveal as all the guests move in for the ceremony.

You can even follow the journey of the two main trophies through the streets of Paris if you’d like.

19:30: Will Messi ‘Get Lucky’ and win number seven tonight?

Sorry.

19:00: So we’re down to our final 10 and we’ve still not seen the likes of Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Will one of them claim the award or will it go to one of the outsiders – the likes of Jorginho or Mohamed Salah.

18:55: Just missing out on a spot in the top 10 are Romelu Lukaku and Erling Haaland, who finish 12th and 11th respectively.

18:50: Will he be successful tonight?

18:45: Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini barely leave each other’s side on the pitch, and the same can be said off the pitch as in 13th place …

18:35: It’s a big year for centre-backs, isn’t it?

18:22: The first player placed inside the top 15 is Manchester City and England’s Raheem Sterling.

18:18: We’re getting closer.

We’ve reached the top 15, as Neymar places just outside in 16th.

18:10: Will King Karim be crowned tonight?

18:05: And in 17th spot is Luis Suárez, who helped Atlético de Madrid win the LaLiga title last season by scoring 21 goals.

18:02: Coming in just above Mount in 18th position is Milan’s Simon Kjaer.

18:00: We’re into the top 20 now and sitting in 19th spot is Champions League winner and Euro 2020 finalist Mason Mount.

17:45: They’re just teasing us now.

Any guesses on the name underneath the censor box?

17:35: The results are coming in thick and fast now.

In 20th place is … Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez.

17:30: Inter striker Lautaro Martínez and Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes both chart at joint-21st place.

17:14: Next up, after five goals at Euro 2020 to add to his 23 Premier League goals in 2020/21 is … Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.

17:05: 2020/21 was only Pedri’s first year in a Barcelona shirt, but we can see why he is already on the Ballon d’Or shortlist.

17:00: Manchester City and England midfielder Phil Foden ranks at 25th, while Barcelona prodigy Pedri is above him in 24th.

16:55: Sharing is caring, and the next ranking is shared by a number of players as well.

Manchester City defender Rúben Dias is in joint-26th place with Inter midfielder and Euro 2020 winner Nicoló Barella, as well as Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno.

16:50: While we wait for the next announcement, let’s enjoy some of Modrić’s best moments in a Real Madrid shirt.

16:43: The France Football Twitter page has also revealed that there will be two new awards given out tonight.

Your guess is as good as ours on what they will be at this stage, probably ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Best Album of the Year’.

16:38: And we’re off!

The first rankings of the top 30 players have been revealed and in 30th place it is … nobody as the 29th place will be shared by Chelsea’s César Azpilicueta and Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modrić – a former winner of the award in 2018.

16:30: And here we are, after a year-long absence due to the pandemic, the Ballon d’Or trophy will be presented to one individual tonight but who will it be?

Will Lionel Messi make it a lucky number seven? Has Karim Benzema’s explosive year earned him the golden ball? Or will Robert Lewandowski finally win?

Stay tuned to find out.