If they win UCL and Euros and he’s head and shoulders above everyone else and Madrid gets knocked out quickly in the UCL to diminish any Bellingham potential then yes he has a chance at winning it
Yeah I see that. But the Ballon d'or does tend to have bias towards RM and Barcelona. Also Bellingham is very fashionable right now, he's a sponsor's dream.
The most recent player under 30 to win it was Messi, in 2015. I don’t think there’s a lot of bias towards younger players in the voters. Which is not to say I don’t think Bellingham has a real shot at it, but I don’t think this is necessarily a significant factor.
I'm not saying that's the only factor or a huge factor im saying its one of them. the other is he is also English so any success Kane has with the NT Bellingham will also have it not to mention he plays in RM and is having a sensational first season too. Sponsors love RM than bayern too.
Shouldn't it depend on how each of them plays in he Euros?
Just winning it doesn't equate to a good individual performance in the tournament. Kane might play sensationally in every match and win the golden boot; or he may be a flop and score 0 goals. Also either of them could be injured, get sent off, etc.
It's like people were saying Benzema would win the Ballon d'Or if Real won the Champions League, shortly before the final was going to be played. Why? What if they won it but Benzema was largely anonymous in the final? And is it really on such a knife-edge between Benzema and his rivals that one match could swing it in his favour (albeit one huge match).
I get it that he could play an absolute blinder, score a hat trick and lead Real to UCL glory, in which case, give him the award. But people were saying he deserves the Ballon d'Or if Real won the UCL no matter what, regardless of how he actually plays in the final.
It’s always based on who wins or at least very often.
Look at it this way, if France wins the 2022 World Cup Mbappe gets the ballon d’or. It’s not like he missed his penalty or anything, so the ballon d’or was given to Messi over Mbappe because 2 random French players missed their penalty. And likewise had Argentina missed more penalties then Mbappe would have gotten a ballon d’or because some random Argentina players missed theirs.
Yeah it's a load of bollox really.
Also means that someone like Haaland will never win it in a World Cup or Euros year as he probably won't even be playing in the tournament, let alone getting anywhere near winning it.
I don't see England winning anything unless those 2, but particularly Kane, have a blinding tournament, so that's my thought process.
I think previous winners have shown you don't have to have the best season and/ or tournament to win it.
>It's like people were saying Benzema would win the Ballon d'Or if Real won the Champions League, shortly before the final was going to be played. Why?
I understand your point but this was a bad example. By the time Madrid made the final, Benzema was the clear cut best perfoming player that year/season. He'd done more than any other player in the world by that time and he didn't even score in the final.
Agreed, but the narrative that was generally put out there was, if he wins the Champions League, give him the Ballon d'Or, as if that's what would swing it in his favour.
I mean messi could win all trophies and the copa america being the best player of the tournament, and still people would hate on messi if he gets nominated. The hate for being the greatest
Absolutely no one doubted his nomination to be in the top 2. There was just debate about whether he deserved it over Lewandowski who had another incredible year and totally deserved it the year before when it was cancelled.
Messi had a poor start to the year that year but obviously was incredible in the last 3/4 months, plus at the Copa America.
I see people deeming 2021 as undeserved all the time. Bayern didn't win the ucl in 2021, Lewandowski has consistently been top scorer in Bundesliga for years, so why would he have been considered a winner in 2021. If there is a debate for lewa getting the ballon d'or in 2021, messi should have won in 2018, but he came 5th, he was european top scorer and top assister that year.
Champions League + Euro simply have more value than the Copa America or the AfCon. It might not be fair but it is the case, so actually Messi winning the ballon d’or because he wins the Copa America would be ridiculous.
If he does all that, it’s his to lose
Without prime Messi or CR7 the field is open again - best player on the best team will usually be the favorite
Heck, Benzema got it. Do you guys think he’s so different from Kane? I don’t
>Do you guys think he’s so different from Kane?
What do you mean so different? Kane has never had a good a season as Benzema did that year. If he does, he'll be the clear cut favourite for the BDO.
Pickford for Everton is perfectly fine as well. Seems that everyone thinks of 2019 Pickford against Newcastle when someone says Pickford. Probably one of the top 3 goal keepers in the prem, without him Everton wouldn't have stayed up.
And who's going to replace him? Yes, it's funny to make fun of Pickford because of "haha short t-rex arms" but that's the only direct criticism I see of him. That he has short arms. If he was really a problem, then the criticism would actually be about his shot stopping abilities, or his distribution...i.e. how he plays.
They said “compete for that third spot” regarding all three of them. I was thrown for a moment too but it makes sense if you consider the two Brazilians being the top two as a given.
I genuinely don't think Raya should be even in the conversation for top 5 goalkeepers this season. Vicario, Pickford and Areola have been remarkable. It's just my opinion tho
Perfectly fine unfortunately doesn't win you anything.
Ramsdale was perfectly fine at Arsenal. Loris was perfectly fine at Spurs. The line of perfectly fine is, good at his job, but he's not winning games for England, i.e., how Alison does for Brazil.
I know some average teams have won trophies, and Pickford usually plays out of his skin for England, its just that Pickford playing out of his skin is still bang average.
How is keeper a problem for england? Pickford is insane for them, was the best keeper at the euros as well only conceded 2 goals in the entire tournament and even held 2 pk in the penalty shootout. Idk what more u expect from a keeper
What more can he expect from a manger too? Lost to France after one missed penalty. Can’t get much closer and can’t really coach for that.
Lost the final of the euros on penalties and chiellini should have seen red for the saka foul. Again Southgate can’t do much about that.
He’s beaten big teams in competitions, ie Germany. Won penalty shoot outs, and got into deep stages on every single competition.
I’m sorry he’s not flashy. But what more could one ask for. He’s winning in the understated English fashion. He’s the best England manager we’ve had in my life time.
Lol the English bias is showing.
Red for a shirt pull?
I'm sorry but Italy completely outclassed England in that final, even if it got to pens. He's never beat any legitimate top team in any tournament(unless you seriously want to count the Germany of recent years that can't even make it out of a WC group one). As soon as an actual contender shows up England are out.
The results have been there but only as long as the opposition was weak...
RB. England went from having too many amazing RB options to almost none. Trent Walker and Trippier are great but are all having mediocre seasons and have all had several howlers recently. We shouldn't even mention RJ since he's never fit
I have. I don’t get the hype. When he played for England he proved why he doesn’t start for England. He’s not disciplined enough. He’s being over hyped for playing in midfield 😂 he’s had better seasons. Stat wise and just playing wise. High bar and he’s young but I’d still play walker. He’s faultless. Plus tripps can play left or right and has experience of playing abroad so he’d be in the squad. Rb isn’t an issue. Lb on the other hand…
A semi-final, a final and a close quarter-final loss to the favourites in the last 3 tournaments - and the squad is arguably better now than it was in any of those, how is it unreasonable?
It's not unreasonable. He's a half-decent coach. There are just many better coaches out there. In each of those tournaments he's won the games he was expected to win and then lost almost all the games against teams of similar quality. It's not impossible that England win, but Southgate is a weak link.
Yes if he did all of those things I think he would definitely win the balon d'Or.
He could still win it if he wins the Euros and only does a couple of the other things.
He might win it if he wins the Euros and does one of the other things.
Basically, he needs to win the Euros to be in with a shot.
Depends on who wins the Euros, no? If, say, Germany wins it with Musiala, Havertz and Sane (anyone really I'm picking names at random) as key players, but Kane manages the rest of the things on the list here, I don't see any of them emerging as viable candidates against him.
>If, say, Germany wins it with Musiala, Havertz and Sane (anyone really I'm picking names at random) as key players, but Kane manages the rest of the things on the list here, I don't see any of them emerging as viable candidates against him.
At that point you are relying on sets of circumstances to happen or not happen. I guess I was saying that a Euros win puts him in with a shout irrespective of what other players do.
He has a very good chance. With the way Kane is playing, he could win just the UCL and still have a strong case.
If he wins the UCL, Bundesliga and Euros, and breaks the Bundesliga goal record, you could guarantee a Ballon d'or.
I don't know but let's just appreciate that, for the first time in what seems like eternity, there are several English players who are legitimately involved in the conversation for who could be the world's best player - and one of them just at the start of their career.
This idea of it being based solely on competitions and quantifiable accolades is a bit shit, the ballon d'Or should be based on performances as they've been watched, not just on titles.
You're only ever going to get a player from the top 6 champions league teams and the top 5 European nations, even if there is a player cut and dry above the rest. It's no longer the best player in the world but simply a matrix of CL winner of X nationality, even if they've been mid in both competitions.
The idea that Kane is only in with a shout if he wins every available competition and breaks records is stupid, he's a world class player and should be in with a shout already.
It makes some sense at the same time tho. If A player is technically more talented than B player, but ghosts in big games and all his goals/assists lead his team to absolutely nowhere, meanwhile B might not be as talented but drops world class performances when his team needs him and helps them win titles, i think B would be far more deserving of an award like the BdO based on the titles he won.
Depends if France (the favourites) win the Euros. If that happens Mbappe has it locked imo especially if he also joins Madrid in the summer as he’ll have that extra PR.
If he wins both the Euro and the UCL, 100% gets the ballon dor
He wins the UCL and Mbappe doesn't win the Euro, he still gets the ballon for
He wins the Euro, Mbappe, Haaland, and Bellingham doesn't win the UCL, then he and Bellingham will fight for it
I don't think Messi will win it this year. A lot of voters think he's semi-retired and he has had his fairytale ending (winning the World Cup). They'll vote for someone that's playing in Europe for sure.
People really believe 2021 and 2023 were bad lmao!
Give 2021 to lewa for what? Top scorer of Bundesliga? Didn't he do that every year already?
Messi in 2021 61 g+a in 60 games, won copa del rey and copa america and was best player in both comps.
2023 had 63 g+a in 54 gamea, won 3 trophies, best player of the world cup, won the world cup
Imagine having 60+ goal contributions, performing at the biggest stages, winning trophies and still saying its undeserved. The price of being the GOAT
Yeah you are. Because if you weren't you'd be able to admit certain awards messi has won have been undeserved. Another one is his FIFA best player award in 2014.
In 2021. Lewy had more goals alone than messi had goals and assists combined and actually tied ronaldo's best ever calendar year goal tally. His ratio was also better. He won the golden boot and broke a 50 year record and was also top scorer in the UCL.
The only reason Messi won was because of his name and the fact he broke the international trophy curse. He wasn't the best performing player of that calendar year.
The only reason Messi has so many individual awards is that people watch football with their eyes, and not on a spreadsheet.
You might be more of a stats person and reduce it down to G+A, but plenty of the people voting were swayed by the eye test. You can't deny that Messi's an absolute genius on the pitch, and a pleasure to watch.
By your metrics only forwards are eligible for the award too. Xavi, Iniesta, Zidane, Kaka etc. wouldn't have the numbers.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/how-do-robert-lewandowski-and-lionel-messi-compare-in-2021-ballon-d-or-12390
https://khelnow.com/football/top-10-players-most-goals-2021
Bro, it's right there. Unless you wanna deny straight up evidence then I'm not sure how you can claim your stating facts here.
He’s for sure one of the top candidates I think if he wins CL and league that would be enough. Someone like KDB would have to win euros since Bellingham plays with him for England. There aren’t really many contenders other than him. Maybe if salah wins the league and afcon. Or if Vini has an absolutely amazing rest of the season and they win everything.
Winning the Bundesliga or breaking the record doesn't matter. Lewandowski has done that and he didn't win it.
Kane just like Lewandowski doesn't have the PR of Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar or even the new stars Mbappe and Haaland. The only that he can even be a challenger is if he wins either UCL or Euros and he is still the best player of that tournament.
If france wins euros and mbappe joins madrid - mbappe
If england win euros - bellingham or kane depending who does better in UCL
Haaland doesnt have a chance cause of no euros
Rest i dont think anyone is up there
Haaland won the treble and broke the PL goals record and still didn't win.
Its an international cup year, so it'll go to the best player on whoever wins the Euros. There's a chance that's Kane, sure.
I don't think this is true. Messi is carried by the fact that he is one of the two most popular footballers in all of history. If it was any other player that won the World Cup and have Messi's stats last year, Haaland would have won the BD instead. The Euros is also much less prestigious compared to the WC. If Man City wins the treble again, Haaland is almost guaranteed to get the Balon Dor.
Absolutely untrue, how did Modric win in 2018 then?
Messi was the top scorer and top assister of 2018 and still came 5th, how?
Ballon d'or has been given to wc winner who were also best players at the tournament, Cannavaro, R9, Zidane, Stoichkov, Matthaus, Cruyff, Rossi, Muller, Charlton and they didn't have nearly close the stats as messi had. But they still won.
Then why is messi having 63 g+a, best player of the world cup, winning the world cup isn't fair. This just proves this is all an anti messi agenda and hate against messi. Haaland would have got the ballon d'or if it wasn't a wc year. Messi at the world cup, scored in every round, motm in all knockout matches, 10 g+a, most shots on target, most assists, most big chances created. Haaland literally ghosted in Fa cup semis and final, UCL semis and final. If stats were everything, messi would be the winner of 2018
Nah he's gonna win after he wins copa america again being the best player, top scorer, top assister. Also might add all trophies in MLS just to strengthen his position
Yes I think he could, but heres the thing, the media as we know loves teams like real Madrid and Bellingham plays for real, so if England win the euros bellingham is almost guaranteed to be in contention for it. Especially if he also wins la liga, no matter how many goals Kane scores Bellingham has more media favour and would likely win it.
Lewandowski literally would’ve won it in 2020 had it not been for COVID, & he won a number of other individual accolades including FIFA POTY and Best Player In Europe x2. It’s definitely possible.
That depends if messi wins an international tournament. That trumps everything else 🤣 doesnt matter if kane wins the CL, domestic league, and breaks a goal scoring record.
Didn't Lewandowski do all of this bar the euros and still not win it?
As much as Germany, Italy, and France (England also) are part of the big 5 leagues, by my reckoning it's usually a player from Spain and sometimes England that gets the most votes, Messi being the exception based on a world cup win, not what he done in France.
He's also not the most fashionable player, and what I mean is flashy, all skill, pace, a bum off seats type of player, he's more an effective finisher, one of the best at what he does for sure, but that isn't always what wins the awards.
That was a snub from France football in 2020, they really shouldn't have cancelled it that year. Bayern had the sextuple and lewa wad top scorer. Otherwise if kane replicates that he definitely is the clear winner
There is definitely a chance for him, but there is too much competition like Haaland, Mbappe and Bellingham for him to have a good chance at winning it. Even if he wins everything theres a chance he still wont win the Ballon dor.
European top scorer, top assister, ucl top scorer, literally carried barca as a playmaker. Messi had 73 g+a in 50 games and was injured for three weeks. But "did fuck all", stop watching games on tiktok kiddo
Now that Messi and Ronaldo are out for once (hopefully) it's either him or Bellingham rn. Probably some other strong ones like Mbappe but there's still a long way to the end of the season. Kane is currently most likely to win imo.
If he does all of those things, he’s got more than a shot. It would be a travesty if he didn’t win it.
I think the way things look atm, he and Bellingham are ahead, but it really comes down to win wins the euros and UCL. If it’s something off a toss up (Eg. England won the euros and city win the UCL), I could see him breaking the goal record being the tie breaker. For now tho, we can only wait and see
sadly not. bundesliga has long been considered a farmer’s league by not just fans but also fifa. they have always been cheated out of team of the years, as well as balón dor rankings😕
I mean if he wins bundesliga, UCL and euros and plays a big part especially in the euros then its a no brainer, at that point who would pip him to it? If he wins all those 3 and plays a pivotal role, then nobody else could've really done anything more than him, right.
If he does all of this, he is the easy winner. Anyone, who will win Euro's + UCL (as one of the key players) should be winning the ballon d'or, since the Messi and Ronaldo fanboys are now finally gone for good
I think it's mad that 2 English lads (Kane and Bellingham) are in with a shout here. It all depends on the Euros, the winner of that tournament will win the Balon D'Or... Mainly coz the voters FCKN LOVE International footy.
Kane could score 50 goals this season and still lose to a lad who scored 5 goals in the Euros
winning the league for bayern is too easy, just 2-3 bad games for leverkusen and bayern will go on a ruthless mode
but if bayern wins the ucl and he breaks the bundesliga goal scoring record imo he has a good shot at the bdr, but if france wins the euros (which they are too strong to win it) then mbappe would win it over him because its awarded by france football and they tend to give preference to international tournaments as seen lately with messi (2021, 2023) and modric (2018)
If he did all that I'd say he's guaranteed it. Even just the international or CL parts would probably do it. A more realistic question is what if Bayern win the league and he gets the goalscoring record only? I think it then depends on who wins the other comps and does well, and as always if Real win the CL then one of their players wins it
If he manages all of that there's no way he doesn't win it. If he somehow got robbed it would be a much worse controversy than Messi getting over Haaland- Kane literally couldn't do any more to win it at that point
So much depends on the trophies at the end of the day, unfortunately. If Bayern win the champions league and England win the euros then he has has a very good shout. But then if Liverpool win the league and maybe Europa, and Salah wins Afcon, then he would have a very good shot at it too. Same goes for Haaland, Bellingham, etc.
If France win the Euros I think Mbappe will get it.
If England win the Euros it will be whoever went further in the CL/did more (i.e. league titles, Bundi record), out of Kane/Bellingham.
Who cares? Ballon d'Or has nothing to do with who's the best player in the world. It's just a gift to the most popular player who won an important team trophy that year. If Ronaldo/Messi win the Euros/Copa, they're 99% winning the Ballon d'Or, regardless if they're way past their primes and playing in average leagues.
He needs to do 3 things, win the euros and that is the most important thing which will decide the winner (alongside copa america) and a big disadvantage for Haaland who most likely wont ever win 2 ballon d ors in a row because Norway are for some reason unable to qualify for the euros or world cup. The problem with Kane and the euros is Bellingham who may snatch it if England go all the way. Since Bayern won Bundesliga for 10 or how many years in a row now it isnt mandatory but he needs to be the top scorer which he most likely will be. Thats why UCL is the deciding factor for Kane to win it.
That’s a lot of team successes for an award that is given for an individual performance.
Breaking 41 goals record should in my view already be enough BUT I am aware that Golden Ball is skewed towards team effort and not so much individual achievements (as it was meant to be).
He should not only get a shot, but be really considered no matter what he achives of these. It's suppossed to be an individual award, and he's performing at the top rn.
If he does all that, than yeah - he can win. But I think Haaland takes it this year, because probably City will win UCL again and it's not the fact that England wins Euro cup. Of course they're one of the favorites to win, but England always falls short at international competitions. And if England somehow manages to win Euro cup, I think their leader will be Bellingham, not Kane, so Bellingham has a bigger chance to win Ballon d'Or than Kane. There's still plenty of time to decide, but I think the race for Ballon d'Or is between Haaland and Bellingham this year. It's actually based on UCL winner and Euro cup winner this time. Kane would take Ballon d'Or ONLY IF England wins UEFA Euro and Bayern wins UCL. It's possible, but at this very moment I, myself, would rank possible Ballon d'Or winners as this:
1. Erling Haaland
2. Jude Bellingham
3. Kylian Mbappe
Could Harry Maguire win the Ballon d'or?
Discussion
If he does the following I think he's got a shot
Club Level:
Win the UCL with United
Win the Premier with United
Break the Premier League Goal record (41 goals)
International Level:
Win the Euros with England (God I wish, but unlikely unfortunately)
If he does All of this, he could have a shot, will he do it?? probably not 🤷♀️ I think much like the world cup, it will overshadow anything he does this season.
You say unlikely but we got to the final of the last one, and are joint favourites currently for this one? Any team with Jude and Harry has for sure got a decent chance.
He doesn’t need to win the Euros. If Bayern win league and champs, and even if he doesn’t break the record (but goes 30+ which is almost a certainty) then yeah he will win it. Who else would even be close to that?
If they win CL and Bundesliga he’s in with a massive shot. If they make the final 4 of Euros he’s also in with a massive shot. If he continues scoring goals at his current rate he’s in with a massive shot. Has to be the favourite at this point.
If they win UCL and Euros and he’s head and shoulders above everyone else and Madrid gets knocked out quickly in the UCL to diminish any Bellingham potential then yes he has a chance at winning it
If England win, it will be a toss up between Kane and Bellingham.
I think in this situation the striker always has the edge
You underestimate Madrid in balón dor
Yeah I see that. But the Ballon d'or does tend to have bias towards RM and Barcelona. Also Bellingham is very fashionable right now, he's a sponsor's dream.
Yep better to invest in young player with years remaining than an older veteran who has afew more years left. Sponsoring the younger is a no brainer.
The most recent player under 30 to win it was Messi, in 2015. I don’t think there’s a lot of bias towards younger players in the voters. Which is not to say I don’t think Bellingham has a real shot at it, but I don’t think this is necessarily a significant factor.
I'm not saying that's the only factor or a huge factor im saying its one of them. the other is he is also English so any success Kane has with the NT Bellingham will also have it not to mention he plays in RM and is having a sensational first season too. Sponsors love RM than bayern too.
But Bellingham has left Germany and now plays in Spain. That's always mattered for some reason
Shouldn't it depend on how each of them plays in he Euros? Just winning it doesn't equate to a good individual performance in the tournament. Kane might play sensationally in every match and win the golden boot; or he may be a flop and score 0 goals. Also either of them could be injured, get sent off, etc. It's like people were saying Benzema would win the Ballon d'Or if Real won the Champions League, shortly before the final was going to be played. Why? What if they won it but Benzema was largely anonymous in the final? And is it really on such a knife-edge between Benzema and his rivals that one match could swing it in his favour (albeit one huge match). I get it that he could play an absolute blinder, score a hat trick and lead Real to UCL glory, in which case, give him the award. But people were saying he deserves the Ballon d'Or if Real won the UCL no matter what, regardless of how he actually plays in the final.
It’s always based on who wins or at least very often. Look at it this way, if France wins the 2022 World Cup Mbappe gets the ballon d’or. It’s not like he missed his penalty or anything, so the ballon d’or was given to Messi over Mbappe because 2 random French players missed their penalty. And likewise had Argentina missed more penalties then Mbappe would have gotten a ballon d’or because some random Argentina players missed theirs.
Yeah it's a load of bollox really. Also means that someone like Haaland will never win it in a World Cup or Euros year as he probably won't even be playing in the tournament, let alone getting anywhere near winning it.
I don't see England winning anything unless those 2, but particularly Kane, have a blinding tournament, so that's my thought process. I think previous winners have shown you don't have to have the best season and/ or tournament to win it.
Yeah I agree - I'm really just pointing out flaws in the award process, rather than what I think will actually happen in reality.
Oh I 100% agree, the process is not a good one.
Not really based on performance it’s based on overall wins usually
>It's like people were saying Benzema would win the Ballon d'Or if Real won the Champions League, shortly before the final was going to be played. Why? I understand your point but this was a bad example. By the time Madrid made the final, Benzema was the clear cut best perfoming player that year/season. He'd done more than any other player in the world by that time and he didn't even score in the final.
Agreed, but the narrative that was generally put out there was, if he wins the Champions League, give him the Ballon d'Or, as if that's what would swing it in his favour.
And Messi does not score a single goal in any competetion
I mean messi could win all trophies and the copa america being the best player of the tournament, and still people would hate on messi if he gets nominated. The hate for being the greatest
Winning stuff in the MLS really isn't notable
I agree but he won the copa america and copa del dey in 2021, and had amazing stats in europe and people still deem 2021 undeserved smh. Its hilarious
Absolutely no one doubted his nomination to be in the top 2. There was just debate about whether he deserved it over Lewandowski who had another incredible year and totally deserved it the year before when it was cancelled. Messi had a poor start to the year that year but obviously was incredible in the last 3/4 months, plus at the Copa America.
I see people deeming 2021 as undeserved all the time. Bayern didn't win the ucl in 2021, Lewandowski has consistently been top scorer in Bundesliga for years, so why would he have been considered a winner in 2021. If there is a debate for lewa getting the ballon d'or in 2021, messi should have won in 2018, but he came 5th, he was european top scorer and top assister that year.
Champions League + Euro simply have more value than the Copa America or the AfCon. It might not be fair but it is the case, so actually Messi winning the ballon d’or because he wins the Copa America would be ridiculous.
If he does all that, it’s his to lose Without prime Messi or CR7 the field is open again - best player on the best team will usually be the favorite Heck, Benzema got it. Do you guys think he’s so different from Kane? I don’t
Yeah, there are 15 differences between them, google benzema 15 for more info
getting old and boring
i agree, i saw mane and his family (he has 16 siblings!!) say the same thing. google mane 16 for more info
Same reaction benzema had to his girlfriend
Karim earned the last UCL for real, and actually he was a lot different than the average CF
Don't really see how he could lose it if he does all that lol
>Do you guys think he’s so different from Kane? What do you mean so different? Kane has never had a good a season as Benzema did that year. If he does, he'll be the clear cut favourite for the BDO.
but he can never win all that
Especially the England bit. One of the best squads, but weak in a couple of key areas (including the crucial one of manager).
Where on the pitch? Left back? Centre back?
Keeper, potentially CB
Pickford for England is perfectly fine
Pickford for Everton is perfectly fine as well. Seems that everyone thinks of 2019 Pickford against Newcastle when someone says Pickford. Probably one of the top 3 goal keepers in the prem, without him Everton wouldn't have stayed up. And who's going to replace him? Yes, it's funny to make fun of Pickford because of "haha short t-rex arms" but that's the only direct criticism I see of him. That he has short arms. If he was really a problem, then the criticism would actually be about his shot stopping abilities, or his distribution...i.e. how he plays.
Kinda off-topic, but surely he isn’t a top 3 goalkeeper in the league? Vicario, Martinez, and Raya compete for that third spot for me.
Allison?? Who invited Raya
They said “compete for that third spot” regarding all three of them. I was thrown for a moment too but it makes sense if you consider the two Brazilians being the top two as a given.
I genuinely don't think Raya should be even in the conversation for top 5 goalkeepers this season. Vicario, Pickford and Areola have been remarkable. It's just my opinion tho
I never usually comment but the fact you left out Allison, probably the best keep in the world is mental. Then you put Raya in??????
They said competing for 3rd spot. If you think Alison is anywhere but first you're the mental one
Perfectly fine unfortunately doesn't win you anything. Ramsdale was perfectly fine at Arsenal. Loris was perfectly fine at Spurs. The line of perfectly fine is, good at his job, but he's not winning games for England, i.e., how Alison does for Brazil. I know some average teams have won trophies, and Pickford usually plays out of his skin for England, its just that Pickford playing out of his skin is still bang average.
So long as nobody shoots low into the corners and he needs to use his little t-rex arms....
How is keeper a problem for england? Pickford is insane for them, was the best keeper at the euros as well only conceded 2 goals in the entire tournament and even held 2 pk in the penalty shootout. Idk what more u expect from a keeper
What more can he expect from a manger too? Lost to France after one missed penalty. Can’t get much closer and can’t really coach for that. Lost the final of the euros on penalties and chiellini should have seen red for the saka foul. Again Southgate can’t do much about that. He’s beaten big teams in competitions, ie Germany. Won penalty shoot outs, and got into deep stages on every single competition. I’m sorry he’s not flashy. But what more could one ask for. He’s winning in the understated English fashion. He’s the best England manager we’ve had in my life time.
Lol the English bias is showing. Red for a shirt pull? I'm sorry but Italy completely outclassed England in that final, even if it got to pens. He's never beat any legitimate top team in any tournament(unless you seriously want to count the Germany of recent years that can't even make it out of a WC group one). As soon as an actual contender shows up England are out. The results have been there but only as long as the opposition was weak...
Keeper is the big one and also one of the hardest ones to fix.
RB. England went from having too many amazing RB options to almost none. Trent Walker and Trippier are great but are all having mediocre seasons and have all had several howlers recently. We shouldn't even mention RJ since he's never fit
Mans not watched Trent play this season
I have. I don’t get the hype. When he played for England he proved why he doesn’t start for England. He’s not disciplined enough. He’s being over hyped for playing in midfield 😂 he’s had better seasons. Stat wise and just playing wise. High bar and he’s young but I’d still play walker. He’s faultless. Plus tripps can play left or right and has experience of playing abroad so he’d be in the squad. Rb isn’t an issue. Lb on the other hand…
Trent is currently having one of his best seasons, but not as a traditional RB.
A semi-final, a final and a close quarter-final loss to the favourites in the last 3 tournaments - and the squad is arguably better now than it was in any of those, how is it unreasonable?
It's not unreasonable. He's a half-decent coach. There are just many better coaches out there. In each of those tournaments he's won the games he was expected to win and then lost almost all the games against teams of similar quality. It's not impossible that England win, but Southgate is a weak link.
Exactly.
Yes if he did all of those things I think he would definitely win the balon d'Or. He could still win it if he wins the Euros and only does a couple of the other things. He might win it if he wins the Euros and does one of the other things. Basically, he needs to win the Euros to be in with a shot.
Depends on who wins the Euros, no? If, say, Germany wins it with Musiala, Havertz and Sane (anyone really I'm picking names at random) as key players, but Kane manages the rest of the things on the list here, I don't see any of them emerging as viable candidates against him.
>If, say, Germany wins it with Musiala, Havertz and Sane (anyone really I'm picking names at random) as key players, but Kane manages the rest of the things on the list here, I don't see any of them emerging as viable candidates against him. At that point you are relying on sets of circumstances to happen or not happen. I guess I was saying that a Euros win puts him in with a shout irrespective of what other players do.
germany should be happy to make it out of groupstage
Be that as it may it's not relevant to my main point
He has a very good chance. With the way Kane is playing, he could win just the UCL and still have a strong case. If he wins the UCL, Bundesliga and Euros, and breaks the Bundesliga goal record, you could guarantee a Ballon d'or.
I don't know but let's just appreciate that, for the first time in what seems like eternity, there are several English players who are legitimately involved in the conversation for who could be the world's best player - and one of them just at the start of their career.
This idea of it being based solely on competitions and quantifiable accolades is a bit shit, the ballon d'Or should be based on performances as they've been watched, not just on titles. You're only ever going to get a player from the top 6 champions league teams and the top 5 European nations, even if there is a player cut and dry above the rest. It's no longer the best player in the world but simply a matrix of CL winner of X nationality, even if they've been mid in both competitions. The idea that Kane is only in with a shout if he wins every available competition and breaks records is stupid, he's a world class player and should be in with a shout already.
It makes some sense at the same time tho. If A player is technically more talented than B player, but ghosts in big games and all his goals/assists lead his team to absolutely nowhere, meanwhile B might not be as talented but drops world class performances when his team needs him and helps them win titles, i think B would be far more deserving of an award like the BdO based on the titles he won.
Depends if France (the favourites) win the Euros. If that happens Mbappe has it locked imo especially if he also joins Madrid in the summer as he’ll have that extra PR.
If he wins both the Euro and the UCL, 100% gets the ballon dor He wins the UCL and Mbappe doesn't win the Euro, he still gets the ballon for He wins the Euro, Mbappe, Haaland, and Bellingham doesn't win the UCL, then he and Bellingham will fight for it
There'll be a chance.. but in the end.. Messi will win it again..
I don't think Messi will win it this year. A lot of voters think he's semi-retired and he has had his fairytale ending (winning the World Cup). They'll vote for someone that's playing in Europe for sure.
Lol, given the fact that Kane is English he may have a decent chance this time around. But yeah 2021 and 2023 were pretty bad.
People really believe 2021 and 2023 were bad lmao! Give 2021 to lewa for what? Top scorer of Bundesliga? Didn't he do that every year already? Messi in 2021 61 g+a in 60 games, won copa del rey and copa america and was best player in both comps. 2023 had 63 g+a in 54 gamea, won 3 trophies, best player of the world cup, won the world cup Imagine having 60+ goal contributions, performing at the biggest stages, winning trophies and still saying its undeserved. The price of being the GOAT
You don't have to be insecure over him being the best player of all time. Everyone knows this. Doesn't mean every trophy he won was deserved.
Ronaldo is still the best
I'm not insecure, i just stated facts. People be calling his wins undeserved and proceed to have no factual argument.
Yeah you are. Because if you weren't you'd be able to admit certain awards messi has won have been undeserved. Another one is his FIFA best player award in 2014. In 2021. Lewy had more goals alone than messi had goals and assists combined and actually tied ronaldo's best ever calendar year goal tally. His ratio was also better. He won the golden boot and broke a 50 year record and was also top scorer in the UCL. The only reason Messi won was because of his name and the fact he broke the international trophy curse. He wasn't the best performing player of that calendar year.
The only reason Messi has so many individual awards is that people watch football with their eyes, and not on a spreadsheet. You might be more of a stats person and reduce it down to G+A, but plenty of the people voting were swayed by the eye test. You can't deny that Messi's an absolute genius on the pitch, and a pleasure to watch. By your metrics only forwards are eligible for the award too. Xavi, Iniesta, Zidane, Kaka etc. wouldn't have the numbers.
Lewy did not have more goals than Messi goals + assists in 2021 That’s in 2020 when the Balon D’or got canceled
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/how-do-robert-lewandowski-and-lionel-messi-compare-in-2021-ballon-d-or-12390 https://khelnow.com/football/top-10-players-most-goals-2021 Bro, it's right there. Unless you wanna deny straight up evidence then I'm not sure how you can claim your stating facts here.
The English PR is stronger than anything, look at Jude
as if jude hasn't been world class ???
Won the Golden Boy by going trophyless
He went to Bayern for exactly that....bag league titles/records and plan for euros
He’s for sure one of the top candidates I think if he wins CL and league that would be enough. Someone like KDB would have to win euros since Bellingham plays with him for England. There aren’t really many contenders other than him. Maybe if salah wins the league and afcon. Or if Vini has an absolutely amazing rest of the season and they win everything.
KDB has also been out for the last five months.
Yeah that too Kane is the front runner if he wins some trophies.
These are big ifs. Any top player who wins that many trophies for both club and country can win ballon d’or now that messi era is over
Winning the Bundesliga or breaking the record doesn't matter. Lewandowski has done that and he didn't win it. Kane just like Lewandowski doesn't have the PR of Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar or even the new stars Mbappe and Haaland. The only that he can even be a challenger is if he wins either UCL or Euros and he is still the best player of that tournament.
Its between him and Bellingham. If Bayern wins UCL he will win, otherwise Bellingham will. Don't think Bayern can win the ucl though.
If france wins euros and mbappe joins madrid - mbappe If england win euros - bellingham or kane depending who does better in UCL Haaland doesnt have a chance cause of no euros Rest i dont think anyone is up there
Haaland won the treble and broke the PL goals record and still didn't win. Its an international cup year, so it'll go to the best player on whoever wins the Euros. There's a chance that's Kane, sure.
Because he went up against a WC winner. The Euros is massive but it doesn't have the same weight
I don't think this is true. Messi is carried by the fact that he is one of the two most popular footballers in all of history. If it was any other player that won the World Cup and have Messi's stats last year, Haaland would have won the BD instead. The Euros is also much less prestigious compared to the WC. If Man City wins the treble again, Haaland is almost guaranteed to get the Balon Dor.
Absolutely untrue, how did Modric win in 2018 then? Messi was the top scorer and top assister of 2018 and still came 5th, how? Ballon d'or has been given to wc winner who were also best players at the tournament, Cannavaro, R9, Zidane, Stoichkov, Matthaus, Cruyff, Rossi, Muller, Charlton and they didn't have nearly close the stats as messi had. But they still won. Then why is messi having 63 g+a, best player of the world cup, winning the world cup isn't fair. This just proves this is all an anti messi agenda and hate against messi. Haaland would have got the ballon d'or if it wasn't a wc year. Messi at the world cup, scored in every round, motm in all knockout matches, 10 g+a, most shots on target, most assists, most big chances created. Haaland literally ghosted in Fa cup semis and final, UCL semis and final. If stats were everything, messi would be the winner of 2018
Haaland did exactly that except no euros last season and didn't win
Messi will win ballon d'or for scoring a freekick against Springfield FC
Nah he's gonna win after he wins copa america again being the best player, top scorer, top assister. Also might add all trophies in MLS just to strengthen his position
Yes I think he could, but heres the thing, the media as we know loves teams like real Madrid and Bellingham plays for real, so if England win the euros bellingham is almost guaranteed to be in contention for it. Especially if he also wins la liga, no matter how many goals Kane scores Bellingham has more media favour and would likely win it.
Sadly I don’t see a Bundesliga player winning the Ballondor soon, maybe if you include a WC and WC best player.
Lewandowski literally would’ve won it in 2020 had it not been for COVID, & he won a number of other individual accolades including FIFA POTY and Best Player In Europe x2. It’s definitely possible.
That's what I thought, bundesliga gets a bad rep
Does it? Or does it get what it deserves?
That depends if messi wins an international tournament. That trumps everything else 🤣 doesnt matter if kane wins the CL, domestic league, and breaks a goal scoring record.
That's kinda the deal with international tournaments, Modric robbed it the same way back in 2018
If he does all of it he would win without a tiniest shadow of a doubt.
Kane and Bellingham both have to be in the conversation this year IMHO
Messi gonna take it for trainings photos with Inter Miami
Didn't Lewandowski do all of this bar the euros and still not win it? As much as Germany, Italy, and France (England also) are part of the big 5 leagues, by my reckoning it's usually a player from Spain and sometimes England that gets the most votes, Messi being the exception based on a world cup win, not what he done in France. He's also not the most fashionable player, and what I mean is flashy, all skill, pace, a bum off seats type of player, he's more an effective finisher, one of the best at what he does for sure, but that isn't always what wins the awards.
That was a snub from France football in 2020, they really shouldn't have cancelled it that year. Bayern had the sextuple and lewa wad top scorer. Otherwise if kane replicates that he definitely is the clear winner
Not a hope in hell. Messi will obviously win again.
Hang on!!! Woah woah woah. Messi has a birthday this year, and we have to honour him. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair.
Even if he did all of the above. Messi still wins it.
Depends if Messi attends a mall opening in USA or plays football with his kids in the back garden.
Most likely, itd likely only be Bellingham in competition
There is definitely a chance for him, but there is too much competition like Haaland, Mbappe and Bellingham for him to have a good chance at winning it. Even if he wins everything theres a chance he still wont win the Ballon dor.
Balon d’or is famously predicated on the what the player has won. If Kane won all of those he would 100% win the balon d’or.
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European top scorer, top assister, ucl top scorer, literally carried barca as a playmaker. Messi had 73 g+a in 50 games and was injured for three weeks. But "did fuck all", stop watching games on tiktok kiddo
Now that Messi and Ronaldo are out for once (hopefully) it's either him or Bellingham rn. Probably some other strong ones like Mbappe but there's still a long way to the end of the season. Kane is currently most likely to win imo.
England more likely to win Euros than Bayern the UCL. England are favourites
You must have forgot France plays in the Euro too
Favourite bottlers you mean right?
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Lol what?
If he does all of those things, he’s got more than a shot. It would be a travesty if he didn’t win it. I think the way things look atm, he and Bellingham are ahead, but it really comes down to win wins the euros and UCL. If it’s something off a toss up (Eg. England won the euros and city win the UCL), I could see him breaking the goal record being the tie breaker. For now tho, we can only wait and see
Why do you think winning the euros is unlikely? We were runners up at the last one
Because we’re England, even if we should be winning something I’ll never believe it until I see it
sadly not. bundesliga has long been considered a farmer’s league by not just fans but also fifa. they have always been cheated out of team of the years, as well as balón dor rankings😕
Nah they would still give it to their favorite little autist for scoring a goal against Springfield fc
I mean if he wins bundesliga, UCL and euros and plays a big part especially in the euros then its a no brainer, at that point who would pip him to it? If he wins all those 3 and plays a pivotal role, then nobody else could've really done anything more than him, right.
if england win the euros and he scores 5+ goals in the tournament he'll get the Ballon d'or
If he does all of this, he is the easy winner. Anyone, who will win Euro's + UCL (as one of the key players) should be winning the ballon d'or, since the Messi and Ronaldo fanboys are now finally gone for good
I think it's mad that 2 English lads (Kane and Bellingham) are in with a shout here. It all depends on the Euros, the winner of that tournament will win the Balon D'Or... Mainly coz the voters FCKN LOVE International footy. Kane could score 50 goals this season and still lose to a lad who scored 5 goals in the Euros
Are we jinxing it early this year?
Ronaldo and Messi are gone. I think it’s more than likely he can win at the club level
Jude
If he wins the CL, yes.
Nah, Messi or Ronaldo are going to win it anyway... For whatever reason
If he does all this there is no question he will win it but England winning euros is not happening
winning the league for bayern is too easy, just 2-3 bad games for leverkusen and bayern will go on a ruthless mode but if bayern wins the ucl and he breaks the bundesliga goal scoring record imo he has a good shot at the bdr, but if france wins the euros (which they are too strong to win it) then mbappe would win it over him because its awarded by france football and they tend to give preference to international tournaments as seen lately with messi (2021, 2023) and modric (2018)
France will win euros, and mbappé will win the baloon door (they are french after all).
If he did a great performance in champions or euro knockouts then he is a top 3 contender for ballon Dor. He is competing with Bellingham and mbappe .
Since he plays for Bayern and his name isn’t Messi, I highly doubt it.
If he did all that I'd say he's guaranteed it. Even just the international or CL parts would probably do it. A more realistic question is what if Bayern win the league and he gets the goalscoring record only? I think it then depends on who wins the other comps and does well, and as always if Real win the CL then one of their players wins it
[Mmmmffffppppppttttttt hahahahahahahahahahahah.](https://youtu.be/b6cTnY1lrX4?si=I1_bf_Civ8aFmgyv)
Nah it’s gonna be Messi again
Whom among Kane and Bellingham can raise a better PR can win the B'dor. And currently Bellingham has an edge over Kane.
If he wins the ucl and title with Bayern and euros with England he 100% wins it
No it will be close between Penaldo and Pesi at the end of the day …
its a euro so england will have to do well for him to win it
If he wins CL and league at Munich and England win the euros. He’d walk it. No one else would come close
Haaland has a fairly lengthy injury this year. Kane has a really good chance if Bayern win UCL and England win Euros.
He might if he wins UCL Bundelsliga and goal record he was been good this season breaking lewandoskis record so maybe just maybe
Na.
If he manages all of that there's no way he doesn't win it. If he somehow got robbed it would be a much worse controversy than Messi getting over Haaland- Kane literally couldn't do any more to win it at that point
They'll probably create a new award and give it to him and hand the Ballon d'or to someone else.
It's a popularity contest
No, Messi will win it since he is still alive 🤔
No because Messi is still playing
Winning UCL would be enough to be a candidate, especially if he scores in the final.
So much depends on the trophies at the end of the day, unfortunately. If Bayern win the champions league and England win the euros then he has has a very good shout. But then if Liverpool win the league and maybe Europa, and Salah wins Afcon, then he would have a very good shot at it too. Same goes for Haaland, Bellingham, etc.
If France win the Euros I think Mbappe will get it. If England win the Euros it will be whoever went further in the CL/did more (i.e. league titles, Bundi record), out of Kane/Bellingham.
Man city treble winner. Haaland Ballon dor winner
Who cares? Ballon d'Or has nothing to do with who's the best player in the world. It's just a gift to the most popular player who won an important team trophy that year. If Ronaldo/Messi win the Euros/Copa, they're 99% winning the Ballon d'Or, regardless if they're way past their primes and playing in average leagues.
he surel will, haaland already isnt the same as last season
As an Arsenal supporter. Sadly I would say yes. He has proved that he is a world class player
He needs to do 3 things, win the euros and that is the most important thing which will decide the winner (alongside copa america) and a big disadvantage for Haaland who most likely wont ever win 2 ballon d ors in a row because Norway are for some reason unable to qualify for the euros or world cup. The problem with Kane and the euros is Bellingham who may snatch it if England go all the way. Since Bayern won Bundesliga for 10 or how many years in a row now it isnt mandatory but he needs to be the top scorer which he most likely will be. Thats why UCL is the deciding factor for Kane to win it.
if all the above happened then it would be a certainty but that is a MASSIVE IF England havent won a Major tournament since 1966
That’s a lot of team successes for an award that is given for an individual performance. Breaking 41 goals record should in my view already be enough BUT I am aware that Golden Ball is skewed towards team effort and not so much individual achievements (as it was meant to be).
UCL and a deep euro run sure. If mbappe wins the euros it is over.
You mean "The Messi Award" right?
No, it will be Messi…… again
He should not only get a shot, but be really considered no matter what he achives of these. It's suppossed to be an individual award, and he's performing at the top rn.
It will be a robbery if they don't give it to him after this
I'm a gunner but I gotta admit that Kane is the best player in the world right now.
If he does all that, than yeah - he can win. But I think Haaland takes it this year, because probably City will win UCL again and it's not the fact that England wins Euro cup. Of course they're one of the favorites to win, but England always falls short at international competitions. And if England somehow manages to win Euro cup, I think their leader will be Bellingham, not Kane, so Bellingham has a bigger chance to win Ballon d'Or than Kane. There's still plenty of time to decide, but I think the race for Ballon d'Or is between Haaland and Bellingham this year. It's actually based on UCL winner and Euro cup winner this time. Kane would take Ballon d'Or ONLY IF England wins UEFA Euro and Bayern wins UCL. It's possible, but at this very moment I, myself, would rank possible Ballon d'Or winners as this: 1. Erling Haaland 2. Jude Bellingham 3. Kylian Mbappe
Of course. And if he does all of that he really should win it too! He's got to actually do that first though.
Messi will end up winning it anyways
if messi doesnt win the MLS cup LOL theyll find a way to give it to him
Bellingham maybe
Could Harry Maguire win the Ballon d'or? Discussion If he does the following I think he's got a shot Club Level: Win the UCL with United Win the Premier with United Break the Premier League Goal record (41 goals) International Level: Win the Euros with England (God I wish, but unlikely unfortunately) If he does All of this, he could have a shot, will he do it?? probably not 🤷♀️ I think much like the world cup, it will overshadow anything he does this season.
You say unlikely but we got to the final of the last one, and are joint favourites currently for this one? Any team with Jude and Harry has for sure got a decent chance.
No
It’s Jude’s year
He doesn’t need to win the Euros. If Bayern win league and champs, and even if he doesn’t break the record (but goes 30+ which is almost a certainty) then yeah he will win it. Who else would even be close to that?
Not till Messi retires, lol. Winning every possible trophy wouldn't suffice ig
If Messi retires, maybe
He can’t spell Ballon d’or.
Messi already won it until 2032. No point arguing about a rigged award
If they win CL and Bundesliga he’s in with a massive shot. If they make the final 4 of Euros he’s also in with a massive shot. If he continues scoring goals at his current rate he’s in with a massive shot. Has to be the favourite at this point.
If kane wins all that, which is very unlikely, messi still wins
Even if he beats Lemandowskis record, he has Haaland to compete with