LIONEL MESSI snubbed Jude Bellingham when naming which players could one day win the Ballon d’Or.
The superstar has won the award more than any other player with eight, and is the current holder after his World Cup heroics.
He believes there are several players who could challenge for the Ballon d’Or in the future, and argued a rivalry could form in the next few years between three players.
But Messi did not consider Bellingham when listing potential candidates, despite his impressive campaign for Real Madrid.
He said in an interview with L’Equipe: “The players to compete for the Ballon d’Or in the coming years?
“There may be a very beautiful rivalry in the coming years with players like Haaland, Mbappe, Vinicius and many young players competing for the Ballon d’Or.
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“I also think that Lamine Yamal, who is still very young and now plays for Barcelona, will play a prominent role and fight for it in the future too.
“Certainly there will be others competing for it, new players that we do not know will appear, because there are always new players, and I think it will be a very beautiful era to enjoy.”
Bellingham, 20, has 21 goals and nine assists for club and country this season, snatching England’s last minute equaliser against Belgium in his last game.
He looks set to win his first league title this season too with Real Madrid eight points clear at the top of LaLiga.
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While success in the Champions League and Euro 2024 could make Bellingham a shoo-in for the Ballon d’Or.
However he will certainly have his challengers, including last year’s runner-up Erling Haaland.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
