The Euro Cup and Copa America have Changed the Landscape for the Ballon d’Or. Who Will Win It?
Once the season in Europe was over, the names of several footballers came to light as possible candidates to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or, hoping that they would have an equally good performance with their national team and now, with the Euro Cup and Copa America about to end, it seems that everything has changed.
The big candidates were Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland, with other youngsters also emerging such as Jamal Musiala, Lamine Yamal, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Florian Wirtz, but now after these two international tournaments, they do not seem to be strong candidates, although Vinicius and Mbappe can never be ruled out.
Also Read: Colombia Defeats Uruguay and Faces Argentina in the Copa America Final
Now the four big names that appear in Europe are Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Rodri and Dani Carvajal, while in America the names of Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez come out, above James Rodríguez and Luis Diaz who have tremendous Copa America.
If England wins the Euros, Bellingham is very likely to be awarded the 2024 Ballon d’Or by France Football magazine ahead of Kane after winning the league, the Champions League, and the Euros.
Even if Argentina repeats as Copa America champions, nobody should be surprised if they see Leo Messi awarded his 9th Ballon d’Or, ahead of Lautaro Martinez or Julian Alvarez. If Colombia wins, James will undoubtedly be the best player in the tournament, but with very little chance of winning the France Football award.
The vote for the first list of 30 candidates is organized by France Football, which is responsible for awarding the prize. Once the vote has been made, 180 sports journalists carry out the vote, awarding 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 points to their candidates.
In theory, journalists should cast their vote based on the level of play shown (something that is not measurable), goals, and titles both at the club and national team level.
From 2022, the results achieved in the last season will be taken into account, in this case, 2023-2024 until the Euro Cup and the Copa America, and not as before, when the calendar year was taken into account.
The logical thing would be for the finalists to be Bellingham, Kane, Rodri, Carvajal, and Messi, although Vinicius and Mbappe could also be included.
For most people today, Mbappe is the best player in the world, Vinicius the most decisive, Bellingham the one who is everywhere, as is Carvajal, but if you take into account their success in their national teams, Rodri and Messi take the cake, so they should be the top contenders.
Then there is the question of which tournament has more weight, the Copa America or the Euro Cup. And the two undoubtedly have the same weight, although it depends on who wins. If Colombia wins, the Euro champion will be in first position, but if Argentina wins, it will be very difficult for Spain or England to overtake them, and Messi, despite playing in the MLS, would have an advantage.
Messi won the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami last season and in the first half of this season in the US league, he had Inter Miami in first place in the Eastern Conference, being the leader in goals and assists during that period, although it is also true that the MLS is not the Premier League, nor La Liga.
Of course, this award is given for results, because if we were to see what he does in each match, Messi would be the clear favorite.
This is just the Ballon d’Or, now it’s time for the important part, which is enjoying two of the best finals in the world Spain vs England for the Euro Cup and Argentina-Colombia for the Copa America. By the way, who wins?
