KEY POINTS

  • Karim Benzema won the Nations League with France earlier this year
  • N'Golo Kante won the Champions League last season
  • Messi has won the Ballon d'Or award for a record six times

Thierry Henry has snubbed his former FC Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi and has backed Real Madrid Karim Benzema and Chelsea's N'Golo Kante to win the Ballon d'Or award this year.

Messi has won Ballon d'Or, the award presented by the French news magazine France Football, more times than any other player – six times, one more than arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi captained Argentina to Copa America glory earlier this year, which was his first trophy with his national side, while he also scored 38 goals and 14 assists in 47 competitive appearances for FC Barcelona last season. However, he failed to win either the UEFA Champions League or the La Liga title.

Meanwhile, N'Golo Kante won the Champions League with Chelsea last season and Benzema was a part of the France national side that won the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League. Benzema also netted 30 goals in 46 matches, across all competitions last season for Real Madrid.

"Let's be realistic, I hope it can be him (Karim Benzema) or N'Golo Kante. Robert Lewandowski would have been elected in 2020 if it had not been canceled. We can also talk about Jorginho because he won everything (Champions Legaue and Euro 2020). And there is Leo (Messi) who finally won the Copa America," Henry, who played alongside Messi at Barcelona between 2007 and 2010, said in an interview with Le Journal de Dimanche, Italy24News reported.

N'Golo Kante
N'Golo Kanté celebrates with Kai Havertz after scoring Chelsea's second goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021 in London, England. Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

Messi switched from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as a free agent during the 2021 summer transfer window. Due to their ongoing financial crisis, the Catalans failed to offer an extension to Messi, who parted ways with his boyhood club after being associated with it for nearly two decades.

Barcelona recently appointed their former captain, Xavi Hernandez, as their new head coach. While the Camp Nou side has a debt of nearly $1.3 billion, the new manager is looking to strengthen his side ahead of the 2022 winter and summer windows. It has been reported that Xavi has informed the Barcelona board that he wants Liverpool FC forward Mohamed Salah "at all costs."

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