Former Barcelona Star and Argentina international Lionel Messi snubbed Jude Bellingham when predicting the four players who would challenge for 2024 Ballon d’Or
When asked to suggest who may fight for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi ignored Jude Bellingham.
Messi led Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, setting a record by winning the award eight times in a row.
Over the past 15 years, Messi and his fiercest opponent, Cristiano Ronaldo, have dominated the Ballon d’Or, with the Portuguese taking home the trophy five times.
However, it is generally anticipated that this year’s winner would be someone else, given Messi is now playing in the Major League Soccer with Inter Miami and Ronaldo is currently with Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
Jude Bellingham, an English player who had a fantastic debut season at Real Madrid, is one of the favorites to win.
In 42 games, he netted 23 goals to help the Spanish powerhouses win La Liga and the Champions League.
Along with Kylian Mbappe, who will join Real Madrid on a free transfer from PSG this summer, his club colleagues Vinicius Jr. and Toni Kroos are also considered favorites for the Ballon d’Or.
However, former Barcelona player Messi could be taken aback by Bellingham’s victory.
When announcing his predictions for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, Messi ignored the former star of Borussia Dortmund in his remarks following his victory last year.
In the upcoming years, Messi stated, “[Erling] Haaland, [Kylian] Mbappe, Vinicius, and many more young players may challenge for Ballon d’Or.”
“I also believe that Lamine Yamal, who plays for Barcelona and is still very young, will battle for it and play a significant part in the future.”
