Chelsea midfield maestro N'Golo Kante has been imperious for the Blues in 2021.
The World Cup winner played a crucial role in Chelsea's Champions League run as they lifted the trophy for just the second time in their history after defeating Manchester City 1-0 in Porto last week.
Kante's performances have been so consistent that a number of the Blues' fans are calling for him to win the Ballon d'Or this year, ahead of the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi.
This has been echoed by Kante's French teammate Paul Pogba, who thinks the diminutive midfielder deserves the award after his stellar European campaign.
“What I would like to say to the whole world is that the ‘NG’ we have seen in recent months has always been the same,” he told Eurosport.
“We talk a lot about his performances but he has always been as good as ever.
“There was no Cristiano and Messi in the [Champions League] semi-final, so it's good to see the performances of the midfielders or even the defenders.
“I said a long time ago that it would be appropriate, if Chelsea won, for him to win the Ballon d'Or. It would be deserved too.
“He’s always performed well, NG. I’m not surprised what he’s doing. I’m just surprised that he’s still doing it. He has always played matches like that.”
Kante would be the first Frenchman to win the Ballon d'Or this century, with Zinedine Zidane the last to clinch the prestigious prize in 1998.
However, Zidane's former teammate and current France boss Didier Deschamps played down Kante's Ballon d'Or chances.
"I do not know if it is accessible for a player who is not creative, who does not score much," Deschamps told RMC.
"He can score a few goals and put together a few assists but as a general rule… It has happened, there was Fabio Cannavaro [in 2006] or others back then, like Matthis Sammer [in 1996.]
"As a general rule, in the majority of cases, it is attributed to a creative player.”
