Ballon D'Or: Portuguese great Futre reveals who will be the favourite to win the award after the decline of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
What's the story?
Former Portugal player, Paulo Futre, believes that Bernardo Silva will be one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or after the decline of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
In case you didn't know...
Silva has enjoyed a tremendous campaign for both his club and country in the recently concluded season. The 24-year-old was pivotal for Manchester City as they won the domestic treble in the 2018/19 season.
With 13 goals and 14 assists from 51 appearances across all competitions, Silva was voted Manchester City's Player of the Year owing to his brilliance.
Silva also played a pivotal role for Portugal as they went on to lift the UEFA Nations League. The Portuguese midfielder was the 'Player of the tournament'. It was his assist which helped Goncalo Guedes score the lone winner in the final against the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed stellar campaigns, despite being on the wrong side of the 30 age mark. Messi won the European Golden Shoe and Pichichi award and he was also the highest scorer in the Champions League.
On the other hand, Ronaldo led Juventus to another Serie A title in his debut campaign in the Italian top flight. The Portuguese was named Serie A's MVP of the tournament due to his brilliance.
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The heart of the matter
Futre, who featured 41 times for Portugal, has claimed that Bernardo Silva will be the next star after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Speaking in an interview, Futre said:
"I think Bernardo will be the next star, or he will be when Ronaldo and Messi start to decline."
"I think Bernardo will be one of those who will be ready to win the Ballon d'Or, because he is a player with a lot of responsibility in a great team like Manchester City."
"He will continue to grow and in two or three years, when Messi and Cristiano retire, I think he can be one of the big favourites to win the Ballon d'Or."
What's next?
We will have to wait till the end of the year to see who wins the Ballon d'Or.