The race for the Golden Ball is into the final stretch - so which of the game's biggest stars are true contenders, and who are merely pr...
The race for the Golden Ball is into the final stretch - so which of the game's biggest stars are true contenders, and who are merely pretenders?
After a season headlined by him finally getting his hands on the World Cup, Lionel Messi took home his eighth Ballon d'Or after picking up the 2023 prize in Paris back in October. The footballing world has long since moved on, though, and now debate is raging as we gradually move towards knowing the identity of the 2024 winner.
Though club games in Europe are now over for another season, it continues to be an intense race. Along with the usual domestic ups and downs, this is a campaign that has the majority of the globe's best players taking part in international tournaments, including the European Championship and Copa America this summer.
So after a year that was defined by the battle between Messi's tournament success for Argentina and Erling Haaland's season-long superiority at Manchester City, how much of a bearing on the 2024 Ballon d'Or race will those international competitions have? Meanwhile, could we see the first win from someone who plays their club football outside of Europe, as more and more of the game's biggest names head to up-and-coming leagues in other parts of the world?
Previous update: July 1, 2024. Players dropped out: Marcel Sabitzer, Granit Xhaka & Antonio Rudiger.
