10. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s fifth Golden Ball of 2017 is almost certainly the last one the Portuguese superstar can win. The 39-year-old has scored more than 40 goals in the 2023-24 season and is still among the top scorers in world football. But Ronaldo only plays in the Saudi Pro League.
Opportunity will come to CR7 if he leads Portugal to win the European Championship for the second time. The former Real Madrid star scored 10 goals in qualifying, second behind Romelu Lukaku, and he remains the leader of a promising Portuguese team.
9. Erling Haaland
The Golden Ball has not belonged to a Premier League player since Ronaldo in 2008. The opportunity came to Haaland last year, when he scored continuously to help Man City win the treble. But the Argentine star could not surpassed superstar Lionel Messi with his World Cup victory.
This season, Haaland has been in decline. Man City was also eliminated in the Champions League. Even recently, Haaland was compared to a League Two player by Roy Keane.
8. Rodri
It is clear that Rodri is the best player in his position. Not only important to Man City, this midfielder is also an outstanding individual in Spain. Looking forward to EURO 2024, a lot of the bullfighting team’s hopes rest on his shoulders.
7. Bukayo Saka
One of the main factors in Europe’s most exciting title race and the world’s most watched tournament. Arsenal are hoping to win their first Premier League title in 20 years, while Saka is enjoying the best campaign of his career.
The 22-year-old has a chance to win the Premier League Player of the Year award and is one of the main reasons why England are considered contenders for the EURO 2024 title.
6. Florian Wirtz
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen surpassed Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga championship. It is now May and they are still unbeaten in all competitions. It was a team effort, but the person who stood out the most was none other than the prodigy Wirtz. This 20-year-old player is also the hope of the German national team at EURO 2024.
5. Lionel Messi
David Beckham, Gareth Bale, David Villa and Zlatan Ibrahimovic ‘grow old’ in Major League Soccer. But Messi is not. He is still shining there. But the Argentine superstar’s ability to win the title will be evaluated at Copa America with La Albiceleste.
4. Vinicius Junior
Vinicius has not been in exceptional form in the first half of the 2023-24 campaign. But towards the end of the season, the Brazilian star exploded even more. He had 2 assists in the first leg against Man City. He just scored 2 goals and won the Player of the Match award at Bayern Munich.
3. Harry Kane
Standing in the way of Vinicius reaching the Wembley final is Kane. The England star continues to wait for his first trophy, but this has been his best scoring season ever. Kane will be a top candidate if the England national team wins the championship at EURO 2024.
2. Jude Bellingham
Bellingham made an immediate impact in his first season at Real Madrid. The Three Lions star is the player who scores the most goals for Los Blancos in La Liga. He is also the hope of the England team in EURO 2024.
1. Kylian Mbappe
By the time the Ballon d’Or vote comes around at the end of the year, Mbappe will almost certainly be a Madrid player. He just won another Ligue 1 title, is about to have the Coupe de France final with Lyon and is aiming for the Champions League final. He is also the captain of the French national team – the number 1 candidate at EURO 2024. Mbappé has the whole world at his feet and has a golden opportunity to affirm his position as the best player in the world in the post-Messi and Ronaldo era.
