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After a season headlined by him finally getting his hands on the World Cup, Lionel Messi took home his eighth Ballon d’Or after picking up the 2023 prize in Paris back in October. The footballing world has moved on, though, and now the heat is on as we gradually move towards knowing the identity of the 2024 winner.
As we enter the final stretch, it promises to be an intense race. Along with the usual ups and downs of the European domestic season, this is a campaign that will see the majority of the globe’s best players take part in international tournaments, including the European Championship and Copa America this summer.
So after a year that was defined by the battle between Messi’s tournament success for Argentina and Erling Haaland’s season-long superiority at Manchester City, how much of a bearing on the 2024 Ballon d’Or race will those international competitions have? Meanwhile, could we see the first win from someone who plays their club football outside of Europe, as more and more of the game’s biggest names head to up-and-coming leagues in other parts of the world?
One thing for certain is that GOAL will be here every step of the way to track the contenders for the biggest individual prize the game has to offer. Ready to join us for the ride? Then step right in for the latest update of our Ballon d’Or 2024 Power Rankings…
Previous update: April 8, 2024.
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Getty Images20Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) ↔️
In 2023-24: 18 goals, eight assists. Won Leagues Cup.
Surely not number nine?! Messi became the first man playing outside Europe to win the Ballon d’Or in 2023, but he earned the prize for his performances while employed by Paris Saint-Germain. Could he now win a Golden Ball while playing exclusively on the other side of the Atlantic?
The odds are admittedly stacked against him. With the new MLS season having only just begun, Messi will not be able to win any meaningful domestic trophies during the voting period for the 2024 award. His hopes of continental success are also over, as Miami crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup thanks to an embarrassing quarter-final exit at the hands of Monterrey.
However, if Messi can lead Miami to somewhere near the top of the Eastern Conference midway through the campaign before then guiding Argentina to a third-successive tournament triumph at the 2024 Copa America, then all bets might be off.
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(C)Getty Images19Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) ↔️
In 2023-24: 38 goals, 14 assists.
Many presumed Ronaldo was done with the Ballon d’Or after he missed out on the 30-man shortlist for the first time since 2003 last year, but there was still a route for the five-time winner to force himself back into contention for 2024.
Whether that has now been closed off, however, remains to be seen. With Al-Nassr already well behind unbeaten leaders Al-Hilal at the top of the Saudi Pro League, their exit from the AFC Champions League at the quarter-final stage was a bitter blow to Ronaldo’s slim Ballon d’Or hopes. And so while he continues to score goals at a remarkable rate, his chances of ending the campaign with silverware are dwindling, especially after he was sent-off in Al-Nassr’s Saudi Super Cup semi-final loss to Al-Hilal.
That said, Portugal will be one of the favourites for Euro 2024 after a favourable group-stage draw, and with Ronaldo having re-established himself in the line-up under Roberto Martinez, he will be keen to impress in what is likely to be his major tournament swansong. If he can guide his country to another continental title, expect him to rocket up these rankings.
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Getty18Rodrygo (Real Madrid) ↔️
In 2023-24: 17 goals, eight assists. Won Supercopa de Espana.
While he remains a key player for Madrid, Rodrygo’s form fell off somewhat after a strong finish to 2023, and there is no doubt that others at Santiago Bernabeu dominate the headlines far more than the Brazilian winger.
However, if he can rediscover his scoring touch in the final weeks of the campaign, especially in the Champions League, before helping to lead his country to glory at the Copa America, then he could vault himself back into Ballon d’Or contention.
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Getty17Lautaro Martinez (Inter) ↔️
In 2023-24: 27 goals, seven assists. Won Supercoppa Italiana.
If any moment summed up Lautaro Martinez’s big-match struggles, it was his woeful penalty in Inter’s shootout loss to Atletico Madrid that ended their hopes of reaching a second-successive Champions League final in the last 16.
The striker has been on a tear for the runaway leaders in Serie A this season, though, and could yet be part of a victorious Argentina squad at the Copa America, but his failure to prove himself in the biggest occasions is likely to mean he finishes down the Ballon d’Or pecking order once again.
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Getty Images16Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) ⬇️
In 2023-24: Five goals, two assists, 14 clean sheets. Won Carabao Cup.
While some may have written Van Dijk off as still being one of world football’s elite defenders, the Liverpool captain’s performances so far this season suggest he still should be regarded as one of the very best around.
As always, he has exuded calm at the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s defence, while he has also started popping up with the odd goal since the turn of the year, with none more crucial than his late winner in the Carabao Cup final. However, with the Reds now looking likely to miss out on winning both the Premier League and Europa League, Van Dijk’s already slim Ballon d’Or chances have taken a huge hit over the past week.
He will, however, skipper the Netherlands at Euro 2024 later this year, and though they are not among the tournament favourites, with Van Dijk back at the top of his game, they surely can’t be written off from going deep in the tournament.
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Getty Images15Declan Rice (Arsenal) ⬇️
In 2023-24: Six goals, seven assists.
Some eyebrows were raised when Arsenal forked out £105 million ($137m) to sign Rice from West Ham over the summer, but any doubts over the deal were quickly erased thanks to the midfielder’s superb campaign thus far.
Not only has the England international been key in shielding Mikel Arteta’s defence, he has also scored some stunning goals, while in 2024 he has added a new string to his bow by becoming a set-piece expert for a team that has become the Premier League’s dead-ball specialists.
If Rice can help lead the Gunners to silverware this season – which admitted looks a tougher task than it did a week ago – before playing an important role for a successful England side at the Euros, then – like it or not – Ballon d’Or candidacy is a realistic proposition.
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Getty Images13Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) ⬆️
In 2023-24: Four goals, 14 assists.
De Bruyne even challenging for the Ballon d’Or after he missed the entire first half of the season due to injury might seem fanciful, but if anyone can force themselves into the reckoning, then it’s the Man City midfielder.
The 32-year-old has looked in great form since returning in January, and is once more a key player for a team who are in good shape to repeat their treble-winning campaign of 2022-23 if he can stay fit. He will also be the main figurehead for a Belgium team who, while unfancied to go all the way, have got a decent draw at the European Championship.
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Getty12Julian Alvarez (Manchester City) ↔️
In 2023-24: 16 goals, 13 assists. Won Club World Cup & UEFA Super Cup.
The most-decorated player of the 2022-23 season after adding the World Cup to the treble he won with Man City, Alvarez has taken his game to a new level this campaign after becoming a regular starter for Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Argentina striker is set to improve his goal and assist numbers from the last campaign, and another successful season for City, as well as a deep Copa America run with Argentina, could yet see him finish higher than the seventh-place he managed in 2023 Ballon d’Or voting.
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Getty Images11Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) ⬇️
In 2023-24: 28 goals, 16 assists. Won Carabao Cup.
Salah finished just outside the top 10 in the 2023 Ballon d’Or voting despite Liverpool’s struggles last season, and so it felt like the ‘Egyptian King’ had a real chance of forcing himself into contention as the Reds pursued both the Premier League title and Europa League to go with the Carabao Cup they have already won.
However, Salah’s poor form since returning from injury has coincided with Jurgen Klopp’s side seemingly echoing their manager in running out of energy, and it now looks likely that they will have to be content with just a solitary trophy from the German’s final season in chage.
Salah’s injury agony, which began at the Africa Cup of Nations, has not only diminished him at club level, but aso meant he missed the chance to enjoy the same international success that some of his rivals might have this summer. His hopes of a first Golden Ball are therefore dwindling.
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Getty Images10Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) ↔️
In 2023-24: 18 goals, 14 assists.
Anyone who believed Arsenal might fall away after last season’s title-race disappointment looked to have been proven wrong, with Saka leading the way for Mikel Arteta’s side as they aim to break their long Premier League trophy drought. The England winger started 2024 in electric fashion, and went on a run of scoring seven goals in five league matches through January and February as the Gunners showed their best form of the campaign so far.
However, Sunday’s loss to Aston Villa threatens to derail Arsenal’s title pursuit, and while they also remain in Champions League contention, Saka will have to be at his best if the Gunners are to beat Bayern Munich away from home and secure a semi-final berth.
That said, if Saka can guide Arsenal to a domestic or European title, then all he might need to be in with a real chance of winning the Ballon d’Or is a strong Euros with the Three Lions.
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Getty Images9Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) ⬆️
In 2023-24: 18 goals, 20 assists. Won Bundesliga.
Bayer Leverkusen remain unbeaten in all competitions through 43 matches this season, and on Sunday, Xabi Alonso’s side got to celebrate the club’s first-ever Bundesliga title as they ended Bayern Munich’s stranglehold on German football. They are also into the DFB-Pokal final and are one of the strongest sides left in the Europa League, and so ending the season with multiple trophies isn’t out of the question.
Should that happen, Ballon d’Or voters will be keen to reward Alonso’s most important players, and few – if any – are having better campaigns than Wirtz, whose hat-trick against Werder Bremen put the seal on a memorable league campaign. The playmaker’s form since recovering from a serious knee injury has been superb, and is likely to earn him a £100-million-plus move over the next 12 months or so, as well as a starting role for hosts Germany at Euro 2024.
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Getty Images8Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) ⬆️
In 2023-24: 22 goals, 10 assists.
It went under the radar somewhat, but there was an argument to say that from the beginning of the 2022 World Cup through to the end of 2023, there wasn’t a more consistent high-level performer anywhere in Europe than Griezmann.
His form during the first half of the current season had Atletico dreaming of domestic and European glory, but the Rojiblancos have since slipped out of La Liga’s title race and are now just about hanging onto a top-four finish. They remain in the Champions League, however, and Griezmann has a key role to play for Diego Simeone’s side as they look to plot their way through the ‘easier’ half of the draw.
If Griezmann can go deep in that competition and then lead France to glory at Euro 2024 thereafter, he may well be in with his best chance yet of winning a Ballon d’Or.
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Getty Images7Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) ⬆️
In 2023-24: 18 goals, 10 assists. Won Supercopa de Espana.
Injury meant that Vinicius did not got off to the fast start many might have expected when Karim Benzema left Real Madrid, but having finally shaken off his fitness issues, there are signs of the winger getting back to his best level.
He netted a hat-trick to help beat Barcelona in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, while he has scored eight goals in his last 10 La Liga games to move Madrid to within touching distance of another league title.
When you factor in that he’ll also likely be Brazil’s main man at the Copa America following Neymar’s season-ending knee injury, Vinicius is set up for a memorable 2024, even if winning the Champions League now looks tougher following Madrid’s draw with Manchester City in the first leg of their European quarter-final.
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Getty6Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) ↔️
In 2023-24: 43 goals, 12 assists.
Kane’s move to Bayern was meant to put him in a spot where he could finally end the wait for a first trophy of his career, but the Bavarians are now in real danger of finishing the season without any silverware after surrendering the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen, while they need to beat both Arsenal and one of Real Madrid or Manchester City to even reach the Champions League final.
Kane continues to score at a record-breaking rate and is averaging more than a goal a game in the league for the defending champions, but if he doesn’t end the club season with a winners’ medal of any kind, would leading England to glory at Euro 2024 even be enough for him to claim a first Ballon d’Or?
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Getty Images5Rodri (Manchester City) ↔️
In 2023-24: 10 goals, 13 assists. Won Club World Cup & UEFA Super Cup.
It has been over a year since Rodri last tasted defeat in a Man City shirt, and little has illustrated his importance to the team more than the fact that they have lost each of the first three Premier League games that he missed in 2023-24.
Unquestionably the best defensive midfielder in the world right now, the fact that the Spain international has also developed a habit of popping up with crucial goals means he is catching the eyes of even more fans – and Ballon d’Or voters.
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Getty Images4Erling Haaland (Manchester City) ↔️
In 2023-24: 34 goals, six assists. Won Club World Cup & UEFA Super Cup.
Haaland could barely have done more to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or and yet still came up just short, so can he go one better and claim his first Golden Ball this time around? Now fully fit after a month out through injury, he is still getting back to peak form for City, but if they again pick up multiple trophies with their No.9 netting the crucial goals, that could be enough to get Haaland over the Ballon d’Or line.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle in his way, however, is that he will again miss the big summer tournament after Norway failed to qualify for Euro 2024. There’s a chance that if other contenders shine in Germany, then Haaland’s potential heroics might be forgotten come voting time.
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Getty Images3Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) ⬇️
In 2023-24: 45 goals, 16 assists. Won Trophee des Champions.
The saga is almost over, and so we now know that this will be Mbappe’s final Ballon d’Or campaign as a PSG player, with his protracted move to Real Madrid expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks and months.
Mbappe’s goals already have the reigning Ligue 1 champions in pole position to defend their crown, but his anonymous showing in the first-leg loss to Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals has put their hopes of European glory in real jeopardy.
Therefore, Mbappe’s most realistic path to winning the Ballon d’Or in 2024 is another 50-plus goal season for PSG before firing France to European Championship glory in Germany during the summer, and right now that doesn’t feel out of the question.
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Getty Images2Phil Foden (Manchester City) ⬆️
In 2023-24: 23 goals, 10 assists. Won Club World Cup & UEFA Super Cup.
With Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland having both missed chunks of the season through injury, Foden has stepped up in spectacular fashion for City, and is enjoying the best campaign of his already illustrious career to date.
He has scored two Premier League hat-tricks since the turn of the year to help edge Pep Guardiola’s side towards a fourth-successive domestic title, while his stunning strike at Santiago Bernabeu served as a notice to Real Madrid and the rest of the Europe that he is ready to lead his boyhood club to glory in the Champions League after playing a bit-part role in last season’s success.
Not only is he in contention for multiple trophies with City, Foden’s form has also given him a great chance of starting for much-fancied England at Euro 2024 too.
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Getty Images1Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) ↔️
In 2023-24: 22 goals, 13 assists. Won Supercopa de Espana.
The best footballer in the world during the first half of the 2023-24 season, Bellingham took to his new surroundings at Real Madrid like no signing since Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only did he score frequently, but he also netted hugely important goals, such as his double to win El Clasico back in November.
The hype around him has been tempered in recent months, in part due to him missing games through injury and suspension, and he didn’t quite take the chance to reignite his Golden Ball bid in the first leg of Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final tie with Manchester City.
Regardless, with Bellingham in top form, England will be confident of finally getting over their major tournament hump at the European Championship. Where that title ends up could yet decide this year’s Ballon d’Or winner…
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