The race for the Ballon d’Or 2024 has heated up – so which of the game’s biggest stars are real contenders and who are mere contenders?
After the season he led finally reached the World Cup, Lionel Messi took home his eighth Ballon d’Or after collecting the 2023 award in Paris in October. However, the world of football has moved on and it is now hot as we are gradually moving towards knowing the identity of the winner of 2024.
As we enter the final stretch, it promises to be an intense race. Along with the usual ups and downs of a domestic European season, it’s a campaign that will see most of the world’s best players take part in international tournaments, including the European Championship and Copa America this summer.
So after a year defined by the battle between Messi’s tournament success for Argentina and Erling Haaland’s seasonal dominance at Manchester City, what impact will these international competitions have on the 2024 Ballon d’Or race? Meanwhile, could we see the first win by someone playing their club football outside of Europe as more and more of the game’s biggest names head to upcoming leagues in other parts of the world?
One thing is for sure, GOAL will be there every step of the way to watch the contenders for the biggest individual prize the game has to offer. Are you ready to join us? Then jump right into the game and get the latest update on our Ballon d’Or 2024 Power Ranking…
10. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) ↔️
In 2023-24: 18 goals, 14 assists.
Anyone who believed Arsenal might fall away after last season’s title-race disappointment looked to have been proven wrong, with Saka leading the way for Mikel Arteta’s side as they aim to break their long Premier League trophy drought. The England winger started 2024 in electric fashion as the Gunners showed their best form of the campaign so far.
However, the recent loss to Aston Villa threatens to derail Arsenal’s title pursuit, and they also crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage in limp fashion to Bayern Munich, with Saka kept quiet in Bavaria
Despite that, Saka could yet lead Arsenal to a domestic title, and then all he might need to be in with a real chance of winning the Ballon d’Or is a strong Euros with the Three Lions. That said, his chances of lifting the Golden Ball have been hit hard in recent weeks.
9. Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
In 2023-24: 18 goals, eight assists. Won Supercopa de Espana.
Rodrygo’s form had fallen off somewhat after a strong finish to 2023, while there is no doubt that others at Santiago Bernabeu continue to dominate the headlines far more than the Brazilian winger. However, after scoring in both legs of Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final win over Manchester City, the ex-Santos starlet has vaulted himself right back into the minds of Ballon d’Or voters.
If he can keep finding the net during the final weeks of the campaign, especially in the Champions League, before helping to lead his country to glory at the Copa America, then he could find himself among the true Ballon d’Or contenders comes the end of the summer.
8. Rodri (Manchester City)
In 2023-24: 10 goals, 13 assists. Won Club World Cup & UEFA Super Cup.
It has been over a year since Rodri last tasted defeat inside 90 minutes for Man City, and little illustrated his importance to the team more than the fact that they lost each of the first three Premier League games that he missed in 2023-24. However, he was on the losing side as City lost out to Real Madrid on penalties in the Champions League quarter-finals, meaning he won’t be able to repeat his final heroics of last season.
Despite that, he remains the best defensive midfielder in the world right now, and the fact that the Spain international has also developed a habit of popping up with crucial goals means he is catching the eyes of even more fans – and Ballon d’Or voters. A domestic double and Euros title remains on the table for him to win, too.
7. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
In 2023-24: 34 goals, six assists. Won Club World Cup & UEFA Super Cup.
Haaland could barely have done more to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or and yet still came up just short, so could he get over the hump this time around? The answer looks increasingly likely to be ‘no’, as despite his fine goal-scoring record, he has endured some forgettable performances in 2024. He could still end the campaign with a domestic double, but going out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals is likely to prove costly.
That is because of the biggest obstacle that was already in Haaland’s way, which is that he will again miss the big summer tournament after Norway failed to qualify for Euro 2024. There was already a chance th
6. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
In 2023-24: 18 goals, 21 assists. Won Bundesliga.
Bayer Leverkusen remain unbeaten in all competitions through 45 matches this season, and Xabi Alonso’s side have already celebrated the club’s first-ever Bundesliga title as they ended Bayern Munich’s stranglehold on German football. They are also into the DFB-Pokal final and are now the favourites for the Europa League, and so ending the season with multiple trophies isn’t out of the question.
Should that happen, Ballon d’Or voters will be keen to reward Alonso’s most important players, and few – if any – are having better campaigns than Wirtz, whose hat-trick against Werder Bremen put the seal on their title-winning campaign.
The playmaker’s form since recovering from a serious knee injury has been superb and is likely to earn him a £100-million-plus move over the next 12 months or so, as well as a starting role for hosts Germany at Euro 2024. The only thing holding him back right now is name recognition, but that could easily change in the next three months.
at if other contenders shone in Germany, then Haaland’s potential heroics might have been forgotten come voting time. Now, it might merely push him further down the final rankings.
5. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
In 2023-24: 19 goals, 11 assists. Won Supercopa de Espana.
Injury meant that Vinicius did not got off to the fast start many might have expected when Karim Benzema left Real Madrid, but having finally shaken off his fitness issues, there are signs of the winger getting back to his best level.
He netted a hat-trick to help beat Barcelona in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, while he has been in fine goal-scoring form in La Liga as Carlo Ancelotti’s side close in on the title at home. They are also now the favourites to win the Champions League, and Vinicius knows what is required to get over the line at the top of the European game.
When you factor in that he’ll also likely be Brazil’s main man at the Copa America following Neymar’s season-ending knee injury, Vinicius is set up for a memorable 2024.
4. Phil Foden (Manchester City)
In 2023-24: 23 goals, 10 assists. Won Club World Cup & UEFA Super Cup.
With Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland having both missed chunks of the season through injury, Foden has stepped up in spectacular fashion for City, and is enjoying the best campaign of his already illustrious career to date.
He has scored two Premier League hat-tricks since the turn of the year to help edge Pep Guardiola’s side towards a fourth-successive domestic title, though his stunning strike at Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid proved to be for nothing as City crashed out on penalties after the second leg.
That said, not only is he in contention for multiple trophies with City, but Foden’s form has also given him a great chance of starting for much-fancied England at Euro 2024, too. He’s fallen back in the Ballon d’Or race, but he’s not out of it yet.
3. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
In 2023-24: 44 goals, 13 assists.
Kane’s move to Bayern was meant to put him in a spot where he could finally end the wait for the first trophy of his career, but the Bavarians looked to be in real danger of finishing the season without any silverware after surrendering the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen. However, they showed resolve to beat Arsenal in the Champions League, and they have enough talent to go all the way in Europe.
Kane continues to score at a record-breaking rate and is averaging more than a goal a game in the league for the defending champions, so if he were do the Champinos League-Euro 2024 double – or even come close to it – then a first Ballon d’Or could fill one of the gaps on his mantelpiece.
2. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
In 2023-24: 47 goals, 16 assists. Won Trophee des Champions.
The saga is almost over, as we now know that this will be Mbappe’s final Ballon d’Or campaign as a PSG player, with his protracted move to Real Madrid expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks. Mbappe’s goals already have the reigning Ligue 1 champions in pole position to defend their crown, and they are now dreaming of Champions League success, too, after the forward’s two goals rounded off a comeback win over Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
With France also the favourites to win Euro 2024 in many people’s eyes, the 25-year-old could yet enjoy an epic end to the 2023-24 season, with a first Golden Ball potentially within touching distance.
1. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
In 2023-24: 23 goals, 13 assists. Won Supercopa de Espana.
The best footballer in the world during the first half of the 2023-24 season, Bellingham took to his new surroundings at Real Madrid like no signing since Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only did he score frequently, but he also netted hugely important goals.
The hype around him had been tempered in recent months, in part due to him missing games through injury and suspension, but he reignited his Golden Ball bid with a tireless performance to help knock Manchester City out of the Champions League before netting his second stoppage-time winner in El Clasico of the season.
With Bellingham getting back to top form, England will be confident of finally getting over their major tournament hump at the European Championship, too. Right now, it remains his world, and we’re just living in it.
Source: Goal.com
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