Jude Bellingham tipped to win the Ballon d’Or

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 12 Jun 2024 16:19 BST
• 4 min read

England legend Paul Ince believes that Jude Bellingham deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this year after a brilliant first season at Real Madrid.

The pressure was on Bellingham following his €103 million move from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

However, the 20-year-old enjoyed one of the best debut seasons in La Liga history, delivering 23 goals and 11 assists in 39 games in all competitions for the Blancos.

READ MORE: Who will win Ballon d’Or 2024? Shortlist, favourites, date and past winners

Bellingham’s performances proved crucial in Madrid doing the double of Champions League and La Liga.

As a result, Bellingham is considered one of the favourites to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or later this year.

And Paul Ince told The Italian Football Podcast at an online event hosted in conjunction with Bet365 that Bellingham should win the Ballon d’Or this year.

READ MORE: The top five Ballon d'Or contenders for 2024

What did Ince say?

"If you go back the last 20 years it's always been between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,” Ince said.

“Now Messi is in MLS and Ronaldo is in the Saudi league, that leaves the door open for someone like Jude Bellingham.

“There's not a lot of candidates for me. If you take into consideration that Bellingham is still relatively young, with a lot of pressure on him and he produces what he has done - winning the Champions League for Real Madrid. I can't see past Jude Bellingham, I really can't."

Bellingham’s Real Madrid teammates Vinicius Jr and Toni Kroos are also in the running for the Ballon d’Or, as are soon-to-be Real Madrid player Kylian Mbappe, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Man City’s Erling Haaland.

Bellingham is in the England squad for Euro 2024 and will be hoping to take his Real Madrid performances to the finals in Germany.

Ince added that he sees an open tournament at Euro 2024 but believes that hosts Germany could go all the way if England don’t.

"I actually think that what is so exciting about this year’s tournament is that there are four to five teams that can win it. I believe that,” Ince said.

"If you look at the French squad, from back to midfield to attack, they are very, very strong.

"England for me defensively are weak. Obviously losing Harry Maguire. But they have got some proper attacking players like Phil Foden, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and players like that. So attacking wise England are very strong.

"I watched the Dutch, they looked good. They disposed of Iceland 4-0 which is a team that beat England at Wembley 1-0 last week.

"And I also have got the Germans. I just think they have had such a bad last two to three tournaments getting knocked out early, but the Germans at home are strong.

"I want England to win the tournament, but it's not as easy as people seem to think. But if England can't win it I think Germany will."

Euro 2024 kicks off on Friday as hosts Germany take on Scotland in Group A in Munich.