Lionel Messi, the world’s most successful player in terms of Ballon d’Or titles, has picked four players that could dominate the award in the future.
Remember that Lionel Messi won the trophy for the record-extending eighth time on Monday night, October 30, three times more than his arch-career rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi led Argentina to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in December, making it nearly impossible for him not to earn the honor.
Aside from winning the World Cup, he also helped PSG win the French Ligue 1 and the French Super Cup last season by scoring 20 goals and providing 20 assists.
These accomplishments helped him push out Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who won the treble with Manchester City last season (UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup).
After winning his eighth Ballon d’Or, and arguably the last of his career, the 36-year-old Argentine football icon named Haaland of Manchester City, Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain, Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid, and Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona as future contenders.
“Haaland, Mbappe, Vinicius, and many other young players can compete for the Ballon d’Or in the coming years,” Lionel Messi told Mundo Deportivo.
“I also think that Lamine Yamal, who is still very young and plays for Barcelona, will play a prominent role and fight for it in the future too.”
All of the players mentioned above are under the age of 25, which is when Messi and Ronaldo began dominating the Ballon d’Or after Brazilian football great Kaka won it in 2006.
In the case of Messi, the Argentine football icon has won the Ballon d’Or four times in a row before turning 25, a feat that only 16-year-old Lamine Yamal has a chance of matching (due to his current age) among the four players Messi has anointed to dominate the prize.
