Lionel Messi identified four players whom he believes could contend for the upcoming Ballon d’Or award, though Jude Bellingham was not among them.
Messi secured his eighth Ballon d’Or in Paris last October, earning recognition as the top men’s player globally through votes from 100 journalists representing prominent FIFA nations.
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Messi edged out Erling Haaland and his former PSG colleague Kylian Mbappe for the honor, becoming the second-oldest recipient at 36 years old.
With Messi’s inevitable departure from the scene in mind, he is currently winding down his career with Inter Miami in the MLS.
Looking ahead to the future of the Ballon d’Or, Messi has already weighed in on potential contenders as we transition into a new era.
He acknowledged the talents of the two runners-up from this year’s top three, and also gave recognition to Real Madrid and Brazil’s rising star, Vinicius Jr.
Additionally, there was a notable acknowledgment for Barcelona’s 16-year-old prodigy, Lamine Yamal, who holds the title of Spain’s youngest-ever goalscorer, hinting at a promising future ahead for him.
As per L’Equipe, Messi said: “The players to compete for the Ballon d’Or in the coming years? There may be a very beautiful rivalry in the coming years with players like Haaland, Mbappe, Vinicius and many young players competing for the Ballon d’Or.
“I also think that Lamine Yamal, who is still very young and now plays for Barcelona, will play a prominent role and fight for it in the future too, and certainly there will be others competing for it, new players that we do not know will appear, because there are always new players, and I think it will be a very beautiful era to enjoy.”
Despite winning the Kopa Trophy and securing the 18th spot in the Ballon d’Or rankings, Bellingham surprisingly did not cross Messi’s mind.
Despite this, the 20-year-old has had a remarkable start to his tenure at Real, netting 20 goals.
