5 leading footballers who will be favorites to win the Ballon d'Or in 2030
The Ballon d'Or has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past decade. The pair have won 11 of the last 12 editions of the most prestigious individual prize in football. Luke Modric, who won it in 2018, is the only player other than Messi and Ronaldo to win the award since 2008.
The race for the 2021 Ballon d'Or largely features veterans of the game
Unlike recent years, it is hard to predict who is going to win the Ballon d'Or this year. Lionel Messi is widely tipped to win a record seventh Ballon d'Or but Robert Lewandowski, Jorginho and Karim Benzema are all worthy contenders. As you can see, the race is dominated by veterans of the game.
However, climb a bit further down and we can see the future prospects of the 'beautiful game'. 2030 is a long way down the road but from all the evidence we've gathered so far, let's try and predict who'll be favourites in the race for the Ballon d'Or then.
#5 Vinicius Jr.
21-year-old Vinicius Jr. has been absolutely sensational for Real Madrid this term. The Brazilian international showed plenty of promise as a teenager but he was still very rough around the edges in his first three years at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Vinicius Jr. has truly announced his arrival this season. His finishing has improved drastically. The youngster's electric pace combined with his quick feet and trickery make him as elusive an attacker as any. In short, Vinicius is a difficult player to defend against.
He could go onto emulate Cristiano Ronaldo's exploits at the club. Of course, Ronaldo's achievements are otherworldly but Vinicius should be audacious and ambitious as he has that level of natural ability.
He is yet to establish himself in the national setup but that should only be a matter of time now. Vinicius is definitely one of our picks to be a favourite in a Ballon d'Or race nine years down the line.
Vinicius almost scored one of the goals of the season 😯 https://t.co/fygPZrZnjZ
#4 Phil Foden
Credit goes to Pep Guardiola for developing some of the talented teenagers at Manchester City into technically proficient footballers. Phil Foden is a perfect example of this. He was immensely talented as a kid but now Foden looks set to become the main man at Manchester City in the years to come.
He is a playmaker with an astonishing passing range and dribbling ability. At 21 years of age, Foden has already shown a lot of maturity on the football pitch. His tactical intelligence and decision-making are already elite. Foden has been named on the Ballon d'Or 30-man shortlist this year.
The Englishman is also a hard worker and always puts in a shift for his side. He can play anywhere in midfield and in attack as well. Foden is already one of the most exciting talents in the Premier League and there is no doubt that he will be a part of the Ballon d'Or conversation in the years to come.
🔵 Phil Foden as Manchester City's false nine against Club Brugge...
@ManCity | #UCL https://t.co/dSa8ydaHkT