BALLON D'OR
The Ballon d’Or is looking for an heir post-Messi
The Argentine lifted his eighth award on Monday and immediately pointed to Haaland and Mbappé as his possible successors. But there are others.
“I don’t want to leave without mentioning Haaland, Mbappé... they had a spectacular year, especially Haaland,” said Lionel Messi on the stage of the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris after receiving his eighth Ballon d’Or from David Beckham. “I have no doubt that they will claim this award in the future. We see many young talents here, and although I find myself in a different phase of my career, we will continue to enjoy football for many years. Players come and go, but the level never drops. We will continue to enjoy it for many more years.” This is likely the last addition to the Argentine’s illustrious collection.
“This is the last one, and I feel more relaxed and at ease,” he continued. “I don’t know if I have little or much time left in my career. As long as I am well and able to compete, I will continue to do so.”
His speech had a serene and honest tone, almost a sense of relief, symbolically putting the final touch on his legendary career by openly referring to that ‘other side’ he mentioned. In this context, where the present intertwines with the future, Messi has already singled out Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé as his choices for the succession process, which remains open unless there are unexpected developments.
Although he had already mentioned them, Lionel Messi once again directly alluded, on two occasions, to the successors of the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly that dominated the last decade of football: “It’s going to be a beautiful competition between these two and many other young talents around here. Both of them deserved it this year.”
Bellingham, Vinicius, Musiala, Rodrigo... contenders for Ballon d’Or 2024
Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé
The credentials of the Frenchman and the Norwegian are well-known. In fact, Haaland presented irrefutable arguments that challenged Messi in one of the most debated Ballon d’Or competitions, where Messi ultimately claimed the title, apart from the one in 2010 when the names of Xavi and Iniesta were prominent. “I hope you get your Ballon d’Or soon because you could have won it as well,” were the words dedicated by the Inter Miami player to the Manchester City player who won the Müller Trophy.
Last year, he made his debut in the top 10, and this year, he came close, with 59 goals, a hat-trick of titles, and a collection of records. He has been progressing in his three nominations. In 2021, he ranked 11th, in 2022, he moved up one spot, and in 2023, he secured the second position.
Graphic brought to you courtesy of our friends at Sofascore. If you like sport stats, they’ve got you covered.
Mbappé's journey has deeper roots. Having just come of age, he made his debut in the top echelons of the Ballon d’Or rankings, landing in fourth place after becoming the icon of the victorious French team in the 2018 World Cup. Since then, his ascent over the last five years has been relentless, living up to the high expectations.
Throughout this period, he has consistently held a top-10 position: sixth in 2019, ninth in 2021, and third in 2022, just as he did in the most recent edition, driven by his 41 goals and his performance in the Qatar World Cup. How different this year’s award could have been had it been him edging the final over Argentina. His potential transfer to Real Madrid would further bolster his chances.
These two players occupy the top two spots in the race for the future Ballon d’Or, but they are not the only contenders.
Vinicius Jr
Vinicius is another player who seems poised to contend for the accolade in the coming years if he continues his upward trajectory. Eighth last year, and now sixth. From being the subject of ridicule for his “want but can’t” attitude, he has transformed into a key figure for Real Madrid, especially with the departure of Benzema, first in spirit and then in body.
The Brazilian, a prominent advocate in the fight against racism and the scorer of the winning goal in the last Champions League, strikes fear into the hearts of defenders and has strengthened his relationship with scoring: he netted 23 goals and provided 21 assists in the past season, compared to 22 goals and 20 assists in the 2021/22 season.
Rodrigo
Rodrigo, the midfielder from Manchester City, has been the sole Spanish candidate among the nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or in the men’s category. (Spain’s women are more dominant!)His prominence at City and his status as the standout global talent for the Spanish national team make him one of the chosen few to contend for the golden prize in the upcoming years.
If Manchester City continues to collect titles and Spain achieves significant success in the upcoming editions of the European Championship and the World Cup, Rodrigo Hernández’s candidacy for the Ballon d’Or will amass many merits, potentially making him the third Spanish player to claim the trophy awarded to the world’s best footballer after Alfredo di Stefano (1957, 1959) and Luis Suárez (1960).
Jude Bellingham
Bellingham was awarded the Kopa Prize on Monday, recognizing him as the best young player of the year. In just two and a half months, he has become the standout figure at Real Madrid. His emergence in LaLiga is only comparable to that of other legends of both Real Madrid and Spanish football. Notably, he boasts the best goal-scoring record for a newcomer to Madrid in the entire history of the club: 13 goals in 13 matches. In addition to this impressive statistic, he equaled the records of three legendary number nines, Romario, Ronaldo Nazario, and Lewandowski, in his first 11 league matches.
All of this is achieved without being a forward and at the young age of 20. For many analysts today, he is considered the most complete footballer in the world, and it remains uncertain where his potential limits lie. Undoubtedly, he possesses all the qualities to be a strong candidate to claim the Ballon d’Or in the post-Messi era.
Jamal Musiala
Jamal Musiala stands as the leading figure in German football with a potential candidacy for the Ballon d’Or. At just 20 years old, he is the darling of Bayern Munich’s supporters, and the resurgence of the ‘Mannschaft’ relies on his performance. His youth makes him a strong contender for the Golden Boy award, in fierce competition with Bellingham, facing off against Pedri and Gavi, the two most recent winners. This season, he has tallied four goals and three assists in 11 matches. Throughout his career, he has scored 42 goals and provided 30 assists in 164 appearances.
His exceptional performance in the Bundesliga has garnered interest, with speculation linking him as a potential future target for Real Madrid. Like every other young star, you could argue. Already, his trophy cabinet includes a Champions League title, four Bundesliga championships, a Club World Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, and three German Super Cups.
The future at the very top may be without the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Benzema and Modric, but the game appears to be in very good hands...