3 players who will win the Ballon d'Or award in the future (and 3 who never will)
The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual prize in football. It is awarded by French news magazine France Football to the best performing footballer in a calendar year.
The Ballon d'Or winner is determined on the basis of a combination of votes from national team captains, coaches, and media representatives. Lionel Messi has won the award a record seven times in his career. He is closely followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five wins.
During their peak, there were plenty of other world-class footballers who ended up falling just short of winning the Ballon d'Or. But with the two stalwarts reaching the final phase of their respective careers, it is time for the baton to be passed onto the next generation.
Without further ado, let's take a look at three players who will win the Ballon d'Or award in the future and three who won't.
3 Players who will win the Ballon d'Or in the future
#3 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema is currently viewed as the early favorite to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or. The Frenchman has been in blistering form for both club and country and is on a mission to show everyone why he is one of the greatest strikers of the modern era.
Benzema has managed to score a hat-trick each in the Round of 16 and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. He also scored the winning goal in the second leg of Real Madrid's quarter-final tie against Chelsea. Benzema has come up clutch regularly for Los Blancos this term.
He has scored 38 goals and provided 13 assists in 38 appearances across all competitions this season. Benzema is very likely to win the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year.
Karim Benzema joins Ronaldo, Messi and Lewandowski as the 4th player to score more than 80 goals in the Champions League.
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#2 Erling Haaland (Norway/Borussia Dortmund)
Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland is one of the best number 9s in the game right now. At the age of 21, he has already become the most sought-after striker in the world. Several European giants are set to line up to attempt to sign him this summer.
Haaland is widely viewed as a successor to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo thanks to the sheer dominance he asserts on the football pitch. He is a prolific goalscorer who has scored an astonishingly wide variety of goals.
In 86 appearances across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund, Haaland has scored 82 goals and provided 23 assists.
It is only a matter of time before Haaland joins a big club and starts winning trophies. He also has almost his entire career ahead of him and is tipped to win multiple Ballons d'Or in the future.
#1 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
Kylian Mbappe has gone from strength to strength this season and has been a standout performer for Paris Saint-Germain this term. He is one of the most complete forwards we've seen in recent times and is a nightmare to go up against for opponents.
The Frenchman's blistering pace and exquisite technique make him as elusive and uncontainable a presence as any in the attacking realms. The 23-year-old has scored 31 goals and provided 22 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions for PSG so far this season.
Mbappe is tipped to at least make it to the Ballon d'Or podium this year and is another player who is expected to win the award multiple times in the future.
Kylian Mbappé is the best player in the world
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3 players who won't win the Ballon d'Or in the future
#3 Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
Kevin De Bruyne is one of the finest midfielders of his generation. The Belgian international boasts incredible vision and passing range and is capable of pulling off the extraordinary on a regular basis.
Even though the 30-year-old has played some great football this season, he does not stand out as much as he used to. City are a team blessed with world-class players all across the pitch. As such, the scope for De Bruyne to outshine his teammates and be their most important player has reduced in recent times.
He has scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in 36 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City so far this season. His numbers, while impressive, are not of Ballon d'Or level. Having crossed over to his 30s, it is difficult to see things drastically improving from here.
#2 Neymar Jr. (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain)
During the 2010s, Neymar Jr. was arguably the best footballer in the world after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He finished third for the Ballon d'Or in 2015 but it is starting to look a lot like that's as high as he is going to finish in his career.
Neymar continues to be one of the best forwards in the game. However, niggling injury issues and a slight dip in overall form has affected his chances. Neymar has also turned 30 and will find it hard to outperform the likes of Mbappe, Haaland etc. in the upcoming seasons.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)
This one will sting. Robert Lewandowski should have won the Ballon d'Or in 2020 after being Bayern Munich's best player in their continental treble winning season. However, the award was canceled that year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was one of the favorites to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or as well but eventually lost out to Lionel Messi. Lewandowski has been in spectacular form once again this season, scoring 47 goals and providing three assists in 41 appearances across all competitions.
However, Bayern Munich have been knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Villarreal. That won't bode well for Lewandowski in the race for the Ballon d'Or. He is also well into his 30s and is unlikely to be able to keep performing at such a high level for a very long time.