For a long time, the race for Ballon d’Or has been reduced to only two names – Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Now, when the two are nearing the end of their careers, some new players ready to rule the football world have come up. Karim Benzema received the prestigious award in 2022, and then Messi regained the throne thanks to the World Cup in Qatar, although he had a serious opponent in Erling Haaland, who won the Champions League and the English Premier League. However, at this point, the fuss and stir around the esteemed award are immense like never before.Rivalry aside, who rightfully deserves the Ballon D’or? pic.twitter.com/aF9NW05Ihr— Kobi (@TheUtdKobi) July 15, 2024 Given that players’ performance in a complete season and not in a calendar year is considered when deciding the winner, after the league seasons were finished, EURO and Copa America end was eagerly awaited. Nevertheless, after Spain and Argentina lifted the trophies, the question mark hanging over the Ballon d’Or conqueror is bigger than ever! Namely, some of the favourites got their winning chances reduced, while some unexpected names came to the fore – primarily Dani Carvajal, followed by Rodri and Lautaro Martinez.🏆 Euro champion🏆 UCL champion🏆 LALIGA champion🏆 Spanish Super Cup champion🏆 UCL final MOTM⚽️ Scored in UCL finalIt’s time to put Dani Carvajal in the Ballon d’Or conversation 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GSZrqpY4ya— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 15, 2024 Real Madrid and Spain right-back has all the predispositions to take the award, having won the European Championship, Champions League, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup. Moreover, he even scored in the UCL final and was named man of the match against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. However, some sources claim that individual performance will be much more important than the team one in the decision-making process, which significantly spoils the Spaniard’s chances, considering that he is a defender and not a forward or winger.While the crowd was chanting “Rodri, Ballon d’Or,” Joselu pointed to Dani Carvajal and shushed them 😂 pic.twitter.com/lN4DCzzVep— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 15, 2024 On the other hand, immediately after the continental tournament final, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente revealed who was his favourite to win the Ballon d’Or – Rodri. The manager’s choice was not a surprise, especially since the midfielder and official EURO 2024 Player of the Tournament certainly deserves the award. Still, he’s won less trophies than his Spain teammate Carvajal.Rodri won the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup with Man City, as well as the European title with Spain – the same number of trophies as Real’s right-back. However, the significance of FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup on one side and Champions League on the other is incomparable. Looking at their individual importance, Rodri has an advantage. Although a defensive midfielder, he scored 14 goals for the Cityzens and one for Spain at the EURO, even though his primary tasks were defensive.Spain’s Head Coach, Luis De La Fuente, believes that Rodri should win the Ballon d’Or after becoming the Euro 2024 champions 🙌 pic.twitter.com/SMybEhwaT9— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) July 16, 2024 The tandem from the Spanish national team is joined by another Real Madrid player – Jude Bellingham, although after a fantastic club season, the young Englishman fell short at the European Championship. In Germany, he scored a winner against Serbia and a spectacular bicycle kick for a late equalizer against Slovakia. He was also accurate in the penalty shoot-out victory over Switzerland. Not bad, but the general impression is still that the 21-year-old has fitted into the pale performance of the entire team. Nevertheless, England reached the final, and considering the importance of a result and a record in today’s football, with 23 goals and 13 assists in 42 games for the club, Bellingham still has a fair chance to win the Ballon d’Or.The recently finished Copa America gave us another name for the award competition – Lautaro Martinez. Argentina won the continental trophy for the second time in a row, with the Inter Milan forward becoming the tournament’s top scorer with five goals and the scorer of an extra-time winner in the final against Colombia. Martinez joined the national team after an exceptionally successful season with the Nerazzurri, winning the Scudetto and becoming the Serie A top scorer with 24 goals. Giving the renowned award to the Argentinian wouldn’t be unfair either.🏆 Won the Serie A while finishing top scorer (24)🏆 Won Copa America while finishing top scorer (5)🏆 Game winning goal in the finalIt might be time to put Lautaro Martinez in the Ballon d’Or conversation also 🤔 pic.twitter.com/CyT7uE7GDp— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 15, 2024 When the club season ended, Vinicius Junior seemed to have the best chance to become the best player in Europe since he had a slightly better second half of the season than his teammate Bellingham. An ace up Vinicius’ sleeve was a goal he scored in the UCL final. However, an injury and Brazil’s early elimination from Copa America, significantly reduced his odds.Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe’s cases are similar to the Brazilian’s. The Frenchman won a double with Paris Saint-Germain, while the Bayern Munich forward still couldn’t break his trophyless curse. Both players were their leagues’ leading scorers and joint-top scorers in the Champions League. Kane also added three goals at EURO 2024 to his record.If you want to win – be SpanishGiven that he has continuously scored many goals for years and helped Man City win another EPL title as the top scorer with 27 goals, Erling Haaland will definitely receive a certain number of votes. However, since Norway failed to qualify for the EURO, it’s hard to believe that his name will be at the top of the list. Dani Olmo has been one of the best players in the continental championship but has been injured for most of the season.Finally, there are several youngsters like Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Cody Gakpo, Arda Guler, Bradley Barcola, etc, who will not be in the mix this year, but could be favourites in the upcoming period. The outstandind era of Messi and Ronaldo is behind us, but it seems that they will have worthy successors.##NAJAVA_MECA_8216336##
