The 2021 Ballon d'Or award ceremony is finally here, with the prestigious award having taken a COVID-19-enforced sabbatical in 2020, and the winner of the 2021 award will be announced on Monday evening at around 20:30 CET.
The favourites are already clear with Karim Benzema going up against Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and N'Golo Kante, and it is the Argentine international who is the overwhelming choice with the bookmakers after his exceptional performances in the Copa America, finally lifting his first professional trophy in an Albiceleste shirt.
Ballon d'Or 2021 - LIVE Stream
This is the start of our 2021 Ballon d'Or live blog, with our updates from this highly anticipated awards ceremony following on from here. As always, the entries nearest the top are the most recent ones.
Two new awards!
France Football are teasing us a little here with the announcement that there will be two new awards given out this evening. What could they be?
How to watch the 2021 Ballon d'Or?
Viewers can tune in to watch the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony on L'Equipe's YouTube channel, though it will also be streamed on Eurosport and on the Eurosport app.
You can also stay up to date with what is happening in our live blog on MARCA English.
When is the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony?
The 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony is being held on Monday, November 29 in Paris' Chatelet Theatre.
The event will begin at 20:30 CET (19:30 GMT/13:30 CT) and it is expected to concluded at around 22:00 CET (21:00 GMT/15:00 CT). The ranking will start to be unveiled at 16:30 CET (15:30 GMT/09:30 CT).