The last Ballon d’Or for Messi – Ronaldo. Time for new stars, who will get it next year?

While we may still be reluctant to give it up, the era of Lionel Messi’s domination of Cristiano Ronaldo is definitely over. The two best players in football history have both moved away from Europe for the rest of their careers, and the next Ballon d’Or will start a new dynasty. Who will it be?

Since 2008, only four names have been engraved on the Ballon d’Or. For 10 years running, the only question was whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo would win the award for the world’s best footballer.

In 2018, that dominance was broken by Luka Modric, who led Croatia to silver at the World Cup and Real Madrid to a hat-trick in the Champions League. The following two editions were won again by Messi, with one being cancelled due to a covid.

Last year, Karim Benzema, who had the season of his life, earned the win. Now the Ballon d’Or is back in Messi’s hands, but for the final time. Which youngsters will compete for this prestigious trophy in the coming years?

Jude Bellingham

If the Ballon d’Or for the current season was announced now, he’s the clear winner. Jude Bellingham has scored 13 goals in 13 games from the midfield position and most importantly, he is deciding games in the setup like a true leader. If he keeps this up, he will be a hot candidate for the next championship.

Even if it’s not this year, he will definitely win at least one Ballon d’Or in the future. After all, he’s still only 20 years old and has his whole career ahead of him.

Erling Haaland

According to many, he should have won this year already. He absolutely blasted the Premier League, broke the record for most goals and finally helped Manchester City win the Champions League, something the club has never done before.

He has already scored 17 goals in all competitions this season and will be looking to improve on this year’s second place finish next year.

Kylian Mbappé

As long as he’s at PSG, he probably won’t win the Ballon d’Or. The Parisian outfit are cursed in the Champions League and if they don’t dominate it, they can score as many goals as they want in Ligue 1, but they won’t be number one in the eyes of the global public.

If he completes the proposed transfer to Madrid and thrives in white, his chances will go up by tens of percent.

Jamal Musiala

You just don’t see what this kid can do with the ball. Jamal Musiala has been a regular for Bayern Munich’s A team since he was 17, and in the last game of last season he scored Bayern’s 89th minute winner.

He is one of the greatest talents in the world, his strengths are not only scoring goals and collecting assists, but also great vision of the game and ball handling. Another hot candidate for the future.

Source: FIFA