Real Madrid rising star tipped to win Ballon d’Or by Premier League icon | OneFootball

The Ballon d’Or, for a long time, has been dominated by two names – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. In recent years, the Argentine ace extended his count of the accolade to eight, even winning the latest iteration of the award.

With both stars now no longer in Europe, it is time for the award to find its next worthy winner. All of a sudden, the question of who will take home the accolade stares an uncertain future.

Considering the situation in the UEFA Champions League, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, and Harry Kane stand as top candidates.

English legend has his say

Former Premier League star and renowned pundit Joe Cole was recently quizzed in rapid fire as to whom he had winning various accolades this season.

When asked about who he saw taking home the prestigious Ballon d’Or for this season, the Chelsea legend did not hesitate in naming Real Madrid’s breakout star as his pick.

“Who’s gonna win Ballon d’Or? Jude Bellingham,” he said via TNT Sports.

Next Ballon d’Or winner? (Photo by Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images)

The Premier League icon’s claim of Bellingham taking home the award is not entirely far-fetched, especially if Real Madrid take home La Liga and the UEFA Champions League this season.

After all, the youngster has been the face of Carlo Ancelotti’s side this season.

Notably, however, Cole picked Kylian Mbappe’s PSG as his favourite to win the UCL as part of the same interaction, partly contradicting his own Ballon d’Or pick.

Back for the UCL

Jude Bellingham missed Real Madrid’s clash against Real Sociedad yesterday owing to an attack of gastro-enteritis which forced him to initially miss out on a place in the squad.

While he did eventually join the squad later, the Englishman did not play any part on the night for the men in white.

Considering that the team go up against Bayern Munich next, however, the player is better rested for Los Blancos will require the English phenom’s best version when they take to the field next week.

As a player who has grown up in the Bundesliga and taking on Bayern Munich regularly, Bellingham boasts of valuable experience for the semifinal tie.

If he can recover his best version in time, the advantage will lie with Carlo Ancelotti’s side.