The top five Ballon d'Or contenders for 2024

Updated: 4 Jun 2024 07:48 BST
4 min read

Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Lionel Messi's era of Ballon d'Or dominance is over.

The eight-time winner is seeing out the twilight years of his career at Inter Miami in MLS, while his biggest rival over the past two decades, Cristiano Ronaldo, is yet to achieve any kind of tangible success in Saudi Arabia.

Article continues under the video

Both legends will be lucky to even be in contention for the 2024 edition and the race for the next Ballon d'Or is an exciting one, with many players vying for the Golden Ball.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the top five contenders for the 2024 Ballon d'Or...

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

The favourite for this year's award has to be English superstar Jude Bellingham, who has enjoyed an absolutely spectacular rise to fame. His trajectory only became steeper after leaving Borussia Dortmund for Real Madrid and the midfielder has gone from strength to strength in Spain.

After winning LaLiga, the Champions League and scoring a bucketload of goals, Bellingham could yet augment his trophy case with a European Championship title ahead of the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

Phil Foden (Man City)

The standout performer of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Phil Foden fired Man City to their record-breaking fourth successive league title. The Stockport Iniesta enjoyed a spectacular campaign and was duly rewarded with Player of the Season honours.

It will be difficult to snatch the Ballon d'Or away from compatriot Bellingham, but a good Euro 2024 could tip the scales in Foden's favour.

Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

A domestic double winner with PSG, new Galactico Kylian Mbappe could yet make a very good case for himself by leading France to glory at Euro 2024.

The Frenchman had a ridiculous scoring record for the Parisians despite all the noise surrounding his move to Real Madrid and often being dropped or substituted after announcing his departure.

Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)

Another domestic double winner, Florian Wirtz dominated the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen and came close to completing a treble, ultimately falling short in the Europa League final.

The German has the chance to star at Euro 2024 on home soil and a successful tournament could give him an outside chance to claim the Ballon d'Or.

Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)

Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr made a very good case for himself with his end to the 2023/24 campaign. Thanks to a brace in the Champions League semi-final first leg and a goal in the final, the Brazilian overtook Jude Bellingham as Real Madrid's top scorer.

The 23-year-old also notched 11 assists as Los Blancos won LaLiga and Europe's premier competition. It is difficult to looks past his English teammate, but Vini Jr will be in contention for the 2024 Ballon d'Or.