Lionel Messi cut into 2/1 favourite to win seventh Ballon d'Or

Lionel Messi has emerged as the favourite to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or award, priced at 2/1 at the head of the betting. 

The free agent, who officially left Barcelona last week upon the expiry of his contract, was 7/1 in the market last month but his performances for Argentina at this year’s Copa America has seen his odds shorten considerably. 

The 34-year-old is the competition’s leading goalscorer having found the net four times for his country in Brazil, alongside providing a further five assists, helping them into the final of the tournament which will be played against the hosts on Sunday. 

Messi, who is expected to sign a new contract with Barcelona in the coming weeks, enjoyed another goal-laden campaign in Catalonia during the 2020-21 campaign, scoring 38 times in all competitions as the Spanish titans won the Copa del Rey and finished third in La Liga. 

Although that was a hugely impressive return, due to his obscenely high standards those figures have become a normality for the South American, and because Barca fell short in both the league and Europe last season it did seem as though his chances of scooping a seventh Ballon d’Or award in 2021 were slim. 

However, after a string of typically-mesmerising performances for his country at the Copa America, Messi is now hot-favourite to clinch the trophy for the third time in six years, and it is difficult to see anyone beating him to the award - especially if Argentina beat Brazil in Sunday’s final.

Messi’s main rival in the market is England striker Harry Kane, who is 9/2 second-favourite at the time of writing. The Tottenham front man was emphatic for Spurs last term, finishing as the Premier League’s leading goalscorer and highest assist-provider. 

Kane suffered a slow start to his campaign at the Euros but has burst into life in his previous two outings for the national team, scoring once against Germany in the last-16 and twice in the 4-0 quarter-final win over Ukraine. 

Should he guide England to the final of the Euros this evening or, better still, lead the Three Lions to their first ever triumph in the competition, the 27-year-old could indeed lay claim to his maiden Ballon d’Or award this summer. Only time will tell.

Other names in the frame include PSG's Kylian Mbappe, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski and Ballon d'Or veteran Cristiano Ronaldo. A full list of odds for the contenders can be found below.