The race for the Golden ball is already hitting up. Ballon D’or ranking 2024, the biggest stars in Europe are fighting for the Ballon d’or 2024.
The question remains, which of this stars are true contenders and merely pretenders?
After a long season lionel messi finally got his hands on his eighth Ballon d’or after laying his hands on the world cup for the first time in his career and also picking up the 2023 prize in paris back in October.
After that, the footballing world has moved on and now debate is raging as we gradually move towards knowing the identity of the 2024 winner.
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With just a few games left in the European season, it continues to be an intense race.
After a year that was defined by the battle between Messi’s tournament success for Argentina and Erling Haaland’s long-season superiority at Manchester city, how much in this summer Ballon d’or race will those international competitions have?
Lets look at possible winners of this year’s ballon d’or as the fight is raging among young and potential players around Europe.
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kylian Mbappe
Mbappe is regarded by many as one of the best players in the world, and status has certainly shown that it is true.
By the time the ballon d’or voting rolls around at the end of the year, Mbappe will almost certainly be a Madrid player. Madrid has long pushed for his transfer to the club.
He waved goodbye to his hometown club by successfully winning yet another league 1 title, as well as the French cup in his final appearance.
Though PSG’s treble dreams were dashed in the champions league semi finals following the defeat to Dortmund, while mbappe failure to score in either legs has dealt a massive blow to his dreams of first Ballon d’or
But yet, it cannot be said that Mbappe has finally lost it all, he can still rekindle his cause by leading france to Euro 2024 glory.
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Toni kroos
Incredibly, it has been on record that no player born before 1990 has ever won the Ballon d’or.
We are yet to see kroos come through and dominate quite like millennial icons Ronaldo and messi with Benzema and luka Modric.
Kroos could actually be the first, though he was only born four days into the 1990s and still firmly belongs to the last generation who are now gradually fading away. He could be the fisrt Ballon d’or winner to pick up the award fter hanging up their boots.
Toni kross whose perfoemances in the champions league knockout in particular proves that he is still among the best midfielders in the world.
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If he can replicate that impact and help lead Germany to Euro 2024 glory, he might as well become a frontrunner.
He was a becoming a forgotten man until the German midfielder reminded the world of his exceptional technical ability.
The ex-Bayern star has already added to his extensive list of major honors and could yet become a champions league winner for the fifth time.
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Jude Bellingham
the Ballon d’or . “I always felt that those awards were like for strikers and wingers, the flashy players.
I know I can entertain the crowd but no one can do it like vini jr. when he is at his best, he is the best player in the world”.
Jude can be as humble as he likes, but he is undoubtedly one of the major contenders of the prize. Bellingham has really made a great impact in his debut season at Madrid.
He has ended the season as Los Blancos top scorer, notching as amny goals Barcelona’s striker Robert Lewandoski, and was recently named Laliga’s best player of the year.
He has made the headlines with injury-time-match-winners home and away against Barcelona. That’s something neither Messi nor Ronaldo did in their time.
Four of the last five Ballon d’or winners Messi not inclusive have been Madrid players, and it is looking like it will repeat its self.
With the way Jude Bellingham is going with his performances, Cristiano Ronaldo might one day have to be worried about his records with the club.
1.Vinicius Junior
Bellingham has probably had the better and more consistent season than vinicius. He was certainly a long way ahead of vinicius when it comes to impact in the first half of Madrid’s campaign.
But the Brazilian just seems to possess that unerring ability to peak at the key moments of the season.
The Ballon d’or is just all about coming up big at the business end, and vini has come alive in these champions league knockout ties.
Two assists in the first leg agains Manchester city, two goals and man of the match away award at Bayern Munich.
Though it was joselu that stole the headlines with his late second leg goal, but vinicius had been the best player on the pitch, tormenting Joshua kimmich with his dazzling display.
If Madrid goes ahead to win the champions league as expected, vinicius could stand the chance of winning his first ever ballon d’or prize.
With just six goals and four assists to his name in the opening 14 games of the season, it was not quite the blistering start to a campaign that was expected of vini at Real Madrid, but injuries played its part in slowing down his morale. He has been able to stay fit of late.
If the Brazilian could guide the team to Euro 2024 glory he will be right at the front of the queue.
