When Cristiano Ronaldo makes his Ballon d’Or picks, the world sits up and notices.
The Portugal captain is a five-time winner of football’s most prestigious individual award, so few are as qualified as him to give their opinion on it.
Ronaldo shared the honour almost exclusively with rival Lionel Messi between 2008 and 2023, but this year is the first time neither have made the shortlist since their dominance.
That paves the way for a new winner, with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr currently the betting favourite to lift the prize on October 28 after his treble-winning exploits with Real Madrid.
However, when the Ballon d’Or came up while Ronaldo was in conversation with former teammate Rio Ferdinand, Real Madrid’s previous no.7 surprisingly didn’t credit their latest one.
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Discussing Kylian Mbappe specifically, Ronaldo said: “I think he’s going to do well to be honest because of the structure of the club, it’s nice, it’s good, it’s solid.
“They have a great coach [Carlo Ancelotti] and president [Florentino Perez] who have been there for many years.
“I don’t think it will be a big issue for him, because of his talent, he’s shown he’s got everything to be capable to do it, and I think he’ll do well.”
Ronaldo then moved onto the Ballon d’Or, adding: “In my opinion he can be the Ballon d’Or winner for the next years.
“Him, probably [Erling] Haaland, [Jude] Bellingham, Lamine [Yamal]. This new generation have a lot of potential.”
Last year’s award saw Manchester City megastar Haaland finish runner-up to Messi despite winning a treble with the Premier League side with the help of his 52 goals in 53 games.
Messi’s World Cup-winning exploits proved decisive, though, with Mbappe tucking in third, having scored 41 in 43 for Paris Saint-Germain and becoming the all-time record World Cup final scorer by taking his total to four in France’s defeat to Messi’s Argentina.
Since then Mbappe has headed to Madrid on a free transfer, following in Ronaldo’s footsteps.
As far as this year’s award goes, he’s fourth in the running after a tricky season in Paris where he was benched on multiple occasions, but still bagged his highest return of 44 goals.
It looks like teammate Vinicius will instead lift the trophy, Brazil’s first since Kaka’s 2007 victory.
City’s Rodri sits second in the odds after a Premier League victory and Euro 2024 win, while Bellingham is third thanks to a stunning debut season in Spain.
News Summary:
- Jude Bellingham among four players Cristiano Ronaldo thinks could win Ballon d’Or in near future
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