Barcelona players receive Ballon d’Or boost as only four teams remain in the UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

Since the beginning of this season, FC Barcelona have been working towards creating somethingmemorable. With the arrival of Hansi Flick, expectations took a massive turn compared to what they were last season. As it stands, this Barcelona team is in contention to fight for a continental treble.

Currently top of the table in La Liga, La Blaugrana are now also in the Copa del Rey final and are among the final four teams in the UEFA Champions League. However, good performances in such top competitions also enables players to have better opportunities in terms of individual awards.

Even before the season started, there were many who predicted the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, or even Liverpool as potential favorites for the Champions League title. In actuality, however, none of those teams are now among the final four contenders.

Instead, the semi-final selection will be occupied by Barcelona, Inter Milan, Arsenal, and Paris Saint-Germain. Moreover, many of the original Ballon d’Or favorites are no longer in the competition either. In fact, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, this current situation favors Barça instead.

The likes of Lamine Yamal have now reportedly gained ground in terms of the Ballon d’Or favorites as well. Moreover, with Raphinha already present as one of the favorites for the award, he is not the only player from Barcelona to have seen their chances improve in recent weeks.

From Pedri to Robert Lewandowski, other players are now gaining momentum as well. Being one of Europe’s most effective offensive teams, it is no surprise to see all of Barça’s forwards as being among the favorites. At the same time, some of the other teams still left in the competition do not have players who have been individually as outstanding as some of the players from Hansi Flick’s team.

Inter Milan has been impressive as a unit, and Arsenal are really only competing for the UEFA Champions League as their opportunities of winning other titles is practically non-existent right now. The only team that does have representatives that could challenge Barça’s standout performers is PSG.

Former Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has emerged as one of the more prominent performers this season, and he is regarded as one of the favorites for the Ballon d’Or as well. With both Barça and the French side still in the running for a potential treble, winning the Champions League could really dictate who ends up winning the prestigious award.