Although the winner of the 2023 Ballon d'Or was announced only a few months ago, six months have passed since the world's finest footballers began competing for the next edition of the prestigious accolade! Lionel Messi claimed the award last time out, after captaining Argentina to 2022 FIFA World Cup glory, but who are the early contenders for this year's prize? Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane has put in a number of eye-catching performances since arriving in Germany, while Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham is arguably the best midfielder on the planet at the moment. Kylian Mbappe, though, is leading the scoring charts across Europe's top five leagues and could finally get his hands on the sport's most illustrious individual trophy if he keeps it up! Readers, join Soccer Laduma's Kurt Buckerfield in analysing the seasons these incredibly talented and in-form players are having.
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England)
Although it's unsurprising to see Kane scoring regularly in the Bundesliga, his individual performances so far are likely to warrant him a place among the top places when October comes around. Kane, 30, signed for Bayern Munich in August last year, perhaps unexpectedly, leaving Tottenham Hotspur, the Premier League and the opportunity to equal Alan Shearer's all-time goal record behind, and immediately hit the ground running with a league debut goal in a 4-0 victory over Werder Bremen. In 22 Bundesliga matches since the beginning of the campaign, Kane has netted 25 times, while he has struck on four more occasions in the UEFA Champions League too, with his 29-goal tally across all competitions making him second on the list of the top scorers in Europe's five strongest divisions. In league games, the former Spurs No. 10 has not gone more than one match without beating a goalkeeper, having drawn a blank in just six Bundesliga appearances! While his brilliance might see him end the 2023/24 season with recognition on a global stage at the ceremony in Paris later this year, Kane, a fantastic team player, will want something to show for his efforts, after leaving the Lilywhites following a decade without claiming a single trophy. His first opportunity to lift silverware came during his first match for the Bavarians, which came only a day after his official arrival in Germany, but it wasn't to be for England's record goalscorer. Thomas Tuchel's side suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the DFL Supercup, a result that put even more pressure on the forward. Bayern currently occupy second place in the Bundesliga, eight points adrift of Bayer Leverkusen, and are in the round of 16 of the Champions League, while they were knocked out of the DFB Pokal by third-tier German team Saarbrucken in November. France Football, the organisers of the Ballon d'Or, will prioritise individual excellence more than they will collective achievements, but will playing in a league dominated by the club he represents in the past 10 years count against him when the chosen journalists cast their votes?
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England)
With the impact he has had at one of the world's biggest clubs in such a short period of time, it would be difficult to argue that Bellingham, right now, isn't the best player in the game in his position. Since arriving at Los Blancos from Borussia Dortmund for a giant fee of €103 million (R2.1 billion) in July, the midfielder has contributed to an astonishing 28 goals in 29 appearances, all while still being five months away from his 21st birthday! In Spain, Bellingham is celebrated by fans, his manager Carlo Ancelotti and by his teammates, who have been astounded by his mentality. The ex-Birmingham City player has put in several match-winning displays in LALIGA, and not only by getting his name on the scoresheet. The former BVB midfielder's goals tally of 16 means he is LALIGA's leading goalscorer, ahead of Girona striker Artem Dovbyk, a position not many would've imagined he would be in when he was standing alongside his mom, dad and brother at his unveiling in Madrid last year. Going forward, with the Ballon d'Or no longer running in line with the calendar year and instead from August until the end of July, Bellingham has plenty of time to continue his rampant rise when he represents England at the 2024 UEFA European Championship, which begins in June, in Germany, having recently become a natural talisman for the Three Lions. Should he claim important pieces of silverware for his club and score more significant goals, all eyes will be on Bellingham to see whether he can inspire his country to a deep run in the continental tournament, which will surely see him have a realistic chance of competing for the 2024 Ballon d'Or. Zinedine Zidane, who famously donned the No. 5 jersey during his stay in Madrid, has been impressed with everything he has seen from the young Englishman, saying in a recent interview that Bellingham is an "unbelievable player who does incredible things". With the nod of approval from one of the all-time greats, it looks like there'll be plenty more praise for Real's match-winner as his career progresses!
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/France)
Since he helped France win the FIFA World Cup in Russia six years ago, it has been almost assumed that Mbappe will end his career with at least one Ballon d'Or in his collection of individual accolades. At the time, at 19 years old, the Paris Saint- Germain No. 7 was the youngest member of Didier Deschamps' French squad and made headlines when he equalled two records set by Brazilian legend Pele after becoming the youngest player to score a brace in a World Cup game and the youngest footballer to find the back of the net in a World Cup final. Since then, Mbappe has consistently been among the best players in the world, although he has only ever finished on the Ballon d'Or final-three podium once, and in a year, 2023, when he stood no real chance of scooping up the prize as it was ultimately contested between Manchester City's Erling Haaland and eventual victor Messi. This year, though, could be different! The 25-year-old is currently leading the way across Europe's best leagues in terms of goals, having scored 32 times in 31 games so far this term, but will most likely need important big-match performances in the Champions League and at the Euros in June and July to go into the awards ceremony in his hometown in October as a serious contender. Lifting the continent's biggest club competition trophy has remained elusive for PSG, with Mbappe largely considered as the French giants' greatest hope. The forward, who is still heavily linked with a move away from the Ligue 1 champions, is building a reputation for being one of the tournament's most influential players, having directly contributed to 70 goals in just 68 appearances, and would see his Ballon d'Or chances boosted if he managed to inspire Luis Enrique's side to glory. There is a lot of football to be played between now and the end of July, and therefore plenty is still uncertain, but one thing fans can be sure of is that Mbappe will continue to regularly score goals. It might just depend on the stage he does it on!
FIVE FACTS ABOUT THE BALLON D'OR
• The last Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or was Micheal Owen in 2001.
• Lionel Messi holds the record for the most consecutive Ballon d'Or wins after he claimed the award four times between 2009 and 2012.
• In 1995, former Liberia international George Weah became the first non-European winner of the Ballon d'Or.
• Ronaldo Nazario remains the youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history after winning the prize at 21 years, three months and five days in 1997.
• Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or on 18 occasions, more than any other player in history.
