As the competition for the Golden Ball intensifies, who of the biggest names in the game are serious candidates and which are just pretenders?
Lionel Messi earned his eighth Ballon d’Or after winning the 2023 trophy in Paris back in October, after a season that saw him finally win the World Cup. But the world of football has moved on, and discussion is already heating up as we get closer to identifying the 2024 winner.
Even though European club competitions are now finished for the year, the race is still fierce. Most of the world’s finest players are participating in foreign events this campaign, including the European Championship and Copa America this summer, in addition to the typical ups and downs at home.
How much of an impact would those international events have on the 2024 Ballon d’Or race, then, after a year dominated by the struggle between Messi’s tournament glory for Argentina and Erling Haaland’s season-long dominance at Manchester City?
Meanwhile, could we see the first win from someone who plays their club football outside of Europe, as more and more of the game’s biggest names head to up-and-coming leagues in other parts of the world?
Ballon d’Or Power Rankings
20. Lautaro Martinez
19. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
18. Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
17. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
16. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)Â Â
15. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
14. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)Â
13. Declan Rice (Arsenal)
12. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)Â
11. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)Â
10. Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
9. Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
8. Rodri (Manchester City)
7. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)Â
6. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
5. Phil Foden (Manchester City)
4. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
3. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
2. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
- 1. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)Â
