“Call it the forward Ballon d’Or if Vinicius or Bellingham win” - Frank Leboeuf says ‘dirty’ player who ‘nobody likes’ should win 2024 Ballon d'Or
Former France defender Frank Leboeuf has shared his pick for the 2024 Ballon d'Or. He made his choice between Dani Carvajal, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr., and Rodri.
The 2024 Ballon d'Or will be awarded in October 2024. There are a few candidates for the coveted prize among the fans, pundits, and the media. Leboeuf, however, believes Dani Carvajal should win the award for the best player for the 2023-24 season.
Assessing Carvajal, Rodri, Vinicius, and Bellingham's chances for the award, the former Chelsea defender said on ESPNFC:
"Carvajal, he’s won everything. So we have to call it the forward Ballon d’Or [if Vinicius or Bellingham wins it]. Vini won the Champions League, won the league, but was not really good in Copa America. Bellingham wasn’t good at the Euros.
“And then you have two guys, Rodri didn’t win the Champions League but he has been absolutely outstanding and the best player in the Euros, won the Premier League."
Leboeuf pointed out how Carvajal doesn't necessarily have the stats like the three players aforementioned but he's won every major trophy. He said:
“Then you have Carvajal, nobody likes him because he doesn’t have [many goals]. He’s like our times’ right-back, dirty, tricky or whatever but the guy won everything. So you can tell me what it is, whether it’s the Ballon d'Or of some people or the Ballon d’Or for all footballers. If that’s the case [Carvajal should win]."
Notably, the last defender to have won the Ballon d'Or was Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
Assessing Vinicius, Bellingham, Rodri and Carvajal's 2023-24 season for 2024 Ballon d'Or
Rodri had another excellent season with Manchester City, scoring nine goals and providing 14 assists in 50 games across competitions. While they couldn't defend their treble, they won the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup, and UEFA Supercup.
The midfielder also helped Spain win the Euro 2024, winning the Player of the Tournament award. Meanwhile, Dani Carvajal also played a key role in La Roja's win at the Euros. At club level, he won the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, and Supercopa de Espana with Real Madrid.
The right-back registered six goals and five assists in 41 games across competitions, including a goal in the UCL final against Borussia Dortmund. The other scorer in their 2-0 win over Dortmund was Vinicius Jr., who had a stellar season with Real Madrid.
He registered 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games across competitions, standing up in the big games. He scored a hat-trick in the Supercopa de Espana final against Barcelona and was named UCL Player of the Tournament.
Vinicius scored two goals in three games at the Copa America 2024 with Brazil. He was then suspended for the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham didn't have a great Euro 2024 with England either despite them reaching the final. He scored two goals and provided one assist.
At club level, Bellingham was named La Liga's Player of the Season. He scored 23 goals and provided 13 assists in 42 games across competitions in his debut season for Real Madrid.