Ballon d'Or 2024: Haaland, Bellingham and the top candidates for next year's award
Tom Weber
- 30 Oct 2023 17:00 CDT
- 5 min read
2024 will likely be the end of Lionel Messi's era of men's Ballon d'Or dominance.
After winning his eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023, the magical Argentine surely won't claim another award, even if he were to inspire his country to Copa America glory. Moving to Saudi Arabia ended Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or aspirations - despite his outrageous form in the Kingdom - and the same will likely be true for Messi in MLS.
2024 could, therefore, see the beginning of a new Messi-less Ballon d'Or era, though anyone will struggle to match the legendary attacker's ridiculous record of eight awards. But who could succeed Messi as the world's best player next year?
MORE: Who will win Ballon d’Or 2024? Shortlist, favourites, latest odds, date and past winners
Erling Haaland (Man City)
Despite an utterly ridiculous 2022/23 season that saw Erling Haaland win a historic treble with Man City while scoring 52 goals in 53 matches, the Norwegian sharpshooter was beaten to the 2023 Ballon d'Or by Messi, who led his country to World Cup glory.
Haaland has, however, shown no signs of slowing down in 2023/24 and he is once again scoring for fun for Pep Guardiola's side. If Norway manage to qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany and the striker has a decent tournament, it will be hard to overlook him once again.
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Jude Bellingham has quickly established himself as one of Europe's most well-rounded players after sealing a €103 million move to Real Madrid. Given the freedom to get into scoring positions by Carlo Ancelotti, the English youngster has started like a house on fire in Spain's capital.
His stunning success hasn't been limited to Los Blancos, either. Even for England, Bellingham is outshining established Premier League stars and quickly becoming the heart and soul of Gareth Southgate's side. If he continues this form into the Euros - for which the Three Lions will be one of the favourites - Bellingham could become the second-youngest Ballon d'Or winner ever, only behind Ronaldo Nazario.
Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
On his day the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe has enjoyed a successful start to 2023/24, though PSG have at times flattered to deceive, which could put his Ballon d'Or hopes in doubt. Any poor season with PSG could be salvaged by a successful Euros for France, however.
If Mbappe consistently shines throughout the season, there is no reason to believe that he couldn't be recognised as the world's greatest by France Football in 2024.
Honourable mentions
There are, of course, many more players we could name here. Young stars like Bukayo Saka, Jamal Musiala, Xavi Simons, Gavi and Florian Wirtz are all enjoying spectacular campaigns and will be in the mix in 2024.
Then, there are the more established names. Victor Osimhen enjoyed a spectacular 2022/23 campaign, but can he have a good enough 2023/24 season for a Napoli side struggling to recapture their title-winning mojo?
If Harry Kane keeps scoring at his current rate and leads England to Euro 2024 glory, he could easily come out on top. Mohamed Salah, Lautaro Martinez and Vinicius Jr also deserve to be mentioned and will be near the top of the list next year.
On the women's side, things are even harder to predict. Will Alexia Putellas reclaim her throne after bouncing back from a heartbreaking injury or are we set for a Messi-esque era of dominance from her teammate Aitana Bonmati, the 2023 winner? England stars Georgia Stanway and Lauren James will likely be among the favourites too, with Linda Caicedo and Lena Oberdorf among the top young contenders for the award.
