The Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious individual award in football, traditionally awarded only to European players, has never reached the hands of legends like Pelé and Diego Maradona. Lionel Messi, however, challenged this norm and won it 13 times, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, during an unprecedented reign of 16 years, thus breaking the trend of it being awarded to European players.
Before the Messi era, Marco van Basten was the last to receive the award consecutively in 1988 and 1989, marking a milestone. Vinícius Junior of Real Madrid has emerged as a favorite to win the Ballon d'Or this year, with a stellar performance that included a hat-trick in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. Lucas Vázquez, his teammate, praised him as the best in the world.
Despite Vinícius's strong candidacy, the emerging rivalry between Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid and Erling Haaland of Manchester City could shape up as the new battle for the prestigious award, given their performance as outstanding forwards for two of Europe's top teams.
Although Mbappé, Haaland, Jude Bellingham, and Lamine Yamal are potential future contenders, none of them are nominated this year, leaving Rodri of Manchester City as the second favorite. The uncertainty over who will be the winner remains as we await the ceremony in Paris, marking the start of a new era in football, following the conclusion of an era dominated by Messi and Ronaldo.
Since its creation in 1956 by France Football magazine, the Ballon d'Or has honored legendary footballers like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Luis Figo, and George Best. The selection of the winner is conducted by a panel of journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings, who award points to 10 players. As the final decision approaches, anticipation grows, and speculation about future rivalries intensifies.
