After being cancelled in 2020, the Ballon d'Or is back, with the great and good of the football world again eyeing the biggest individual honour the game has to offer.
Although the prize will not be handed out until December, performances over the coming weeks will go a long way to deciding who will and won't be in contention to succeed 2019 winner Lionel Messi.
With the season heating up heading into its final month before a couple of major summer tournaments, the world's best players are beginning to come to the fore.
So, by using their performances so far, as well as predictions of what is likely still to come in 2021, who holds the most power in this year's race?
Goal ranks the runners and riders...
Getty/Goal#20 Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
Last time: 20th
In 2021: 11 goals, one assist.
Suarez clings on despite being unable to inspire Atletico to victory over Athletic Club on Sunday as he returned to action from the bench following his injury lay-off.
Diego Simeone must pray the Uruguay star can hit the ground running once he is back to full fitness as the Rojiblancos look to win a title race that looked almost impossible to lose back in January.
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#19 Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
Last time: 19th
In 2021: Six goals, six assists. Won Copa del Rey.
The star of the Copa del Rey final had a much quieter week personally, even if Barca did record two wins that, coupled with Atletico Madrid dropping more points, suddenly puts them in pole position to win La Liga.
De Jong will likely have to play a major role if they are to get over the line, however.
#18 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Last time: 18th
In 2021: Five goals, 12 assists. Won Club World Cup.
Muller continues to rack up the assists in Bundesliga, but with no Euros and the continental semi-finals to come, it feels as if his time in the top 20 of the power rankings is coming to an end.
That said, it is pretty dangerous to write the World Cup winner off, so do not be surprised if he makes headlines before the season is over.
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#17 Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Last time: 17th
In 2021: Eight goals, two assists.
Though Mount did not directly contribute to any goals over the past week, he continued to impress as Chelsea took control of the Premier League's top-four race.
Now the onus will be on the England international to help lead the Blues past Real Madrid in the Champions League over the next two weeks.
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#16 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Last time: 16th
In 2021: 15 goals.
Salah was once again on the scoresheet for Liverpool on Saturday, but late equalisers from Leeds and Newcastle over the past week have left the Reds with a mountain to climb in terms of finishing in the top four.
He could yet claim international honours, though, after being named in Egypt's preliminary squad for this summer's Olympic Games.
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#15 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
Last time: 15th
In 2021: Two goals, eight assists.
Kroos is expected to be fit for Madrid's meeting with Chelsea on Tuesday having sat out both of their La Liga games over the past week.
They certainly missed the Germany international against Real Betis on Saturday as they failed to break down Manuel Pellegrini's side in a 0-0 draw that hit their title hopes hard.
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#14 Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Last time: 14th
In 2021: 17 goals, four assists.
Kane remains an outside bet for the Ballon d'Or having proven his fitness in the Carabao Cup final, though Tottenham's defeat at Wembley will not have helped his cause.
In all likelihood, though, he will need to lead England to at least the final of the European Championship to have any hope of truly forcing himself into contention.
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#13 Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Last time: 11th
In 2021: 10 goals, six assists.
Fernandes has just one league goal and one league assist since the end of February, with his impact on games not what it was during his first 12 months at Manchester United.
That said, if he is able to lead the Red Devils to Europa League glory, starting with this week's semi-final first leg against Roma, then he could force himself back into this particular race.
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#12 Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Last time: 12th
In 2021: One goal, 16 clean sheets. Won Carabao Cup.
It was telling just how much of an ovation Dias got from the 2,000 City supporters inside Wembley Stadium on Sunday as he saluted them with the Carabao Cup, with the Portugal international already a fan favourite despite that being the first time he had played in front them.
Attention now turns to keeping Neymar and Kylian Mbappe quiet this week - do that and Dias could yet crack the top 10.
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#11 Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Last time: 13th
In 2021: Nine goals, six assists. Won Carabao Cup.
With every passing week it becomes clear that Foden is not just one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but potentially in Europe too.
The England international now has four Carabao Cup winners' medals before the age of 21, and his personal trophy cabinet will only continue to grow with both team and individual prizes over the next decade or so.
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#10 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Last time: 10th
In 2021: 17 goals, three assists. Won Supercoppa Italiana.
With Ronaldo struggling to find the net with any kind of consistency, Juventus' fight to secure Champions League football for next season rolls on, with the Bianconeri at real risk of missing out on a top-four finish in Serie A.
It might be hard to come to terms with, but we might just be seeing the beginning of the end of the Portuguese superstar. Or he might prove us all wrong once more this summer.
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#9 Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Last time: 9th
In 2021: 20 goals, eight assists.
After his short drought, Haaland certainly seems to have rediscovered his goal-scoring touch at the exact right moment to try and save Dortmund's season.
His double against Wolfsburg on Saturday put the Signal-Iduna Park outfit right back into the race for a top-four finish in the Bundesliga, and with a cup semi-final to come, the Norway international could still lead his side to a memorable end to the campaign.
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#8 Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Last time: 8th
In 2021: Five goals, four assists. Won Trophee des Champions.
This is it then: potentially Neymar's best chance of winning the Ballon d'Or rests on the next 10 days as PSG aim to reach a second successive Champions League final.
If the Brazil international can replicate his performances against Bayern Munich when the Ligue 1 champions face Manchester City in the semi-finals, then he may well fire himself right into contention.
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#7 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Last time: 7th
In 2021: 15 goals, two assists.
After Benzema's superb performance against Cadiz on Wednesday, there were some calls for the former Lyon striker to win this year's Ballon d'Or, so decisive has he been for Madrid this season.
He will likely need to lead Los Blancos to the Champions League title if he is to claim the prize, though, with their draw against Real Betis potentially having ended their realistic hopes of winning La Liga.
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#6 Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
Last week: 6th
In 2021: 14 goals, five assists. Won Carabao Cup.
Gundogan continues to cling onto his position among the true contenders despite his drop in goals and assists, with those behind him yet to make a major move to overtake the Germany international.
He helped City to their first trophy of the season on Sunday, and by this time next week the Premier League title could be sewn up to, with Gundogan arguably the key figure in that success.
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#5 Romelu Lukaku (Inter)
Last time: 5th
In 2021: 14 goals, five assists.
The goals may have dried up for Lukaku, but Inter keep on winning as their Serie A title dreams move within touching distance of being realised.
The Belgium international remains this high on the rankings due to the potential starring role he could have at the European Championship for one of the tournament favourites.
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#4 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Last time: 4th
In 2021: Seven goals, seven assists. Won Carabao Cup.
With fears over the injury he suffered in last week's FA Cup semi-final having been allayed, De Bruyne returned to Wembley on Sunday to set up City's winner in the Carabao Cup final.
One trophy secured, the Belgium international will likely have a key role to play in Pep Guardiola's side picking up two more before the end of May.
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#3 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Last time: 3rd
In 2021: 26 goals, three assists. Won Club World Cup.
Lewandowski's return to action following his injury may have brought with it a goal, but it did not bring with it a win that would have secured the Bundesliga title for Bayern.
Instead they were beaten by Mainz, though the Poland international remains on track to at least equal Gerd Muller's single-season Bundesliga goal record, needing to find the net four times in the Bavarians' final three matches of the campaign.
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#2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Last time: 2nd
In 2021: 23 goals, nine assists. Won Copa del Rey.
Messi keeps piling up the goals in La Liga as Barca continue to close down Atletico Madrid at the top of the table, with the Argentine superstar arguably playing his best football for at least two years.
A league title and a deep run in the Copa America could yet see him rewarded with a seventh Ballon d'Or.
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#1 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Last time: 1st
In 2021: 23 goals, three assists. Won Trophee des Champions.
Mbappe warmed up for this week's Champions League semi-final clash with Manchester City with a double on Saturday as PSG kept up the pressure on leaders Lille in the Ligue 1 title race.
As long as the injury he picked up towards the end of that win over Metz is as minor as Mauricio Pochettino felt it was post-match, then the France international remains the overwhelming favourite for this year's Ballon d'Or.
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