Messi Reveals Who Deserves Ballon D’or, and It’s Not Kylian Mbappé | OneFootball

Former Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi currently holds the Ballon d’Or and announced who he believes should win the prestigious award that will be handed out this month.

There’s no clear-cut favorite to win the Ballon d’Or this year, but there’s a push for Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham to win the award as Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League and LaLiga title last season.

Neither Bellingham nor Vinicius added more silverware in the summer to beef up their candidacy for the award. Bellingham did reach the final in UEFA Euro 2024 this past summer, while Brazil crashed out early in the knockout stage.

As a result, Messi is choosing another candidate to win the award, and it’s not his former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappé but Lautaro Martinez, his teammate on the Argentine national team and current Inter Milan standout.

“He had a spectacular year, scored a goal in the final and was top scorer in the Copa América,” Messi said (h/t RMC Sport). “He deserves the Ballon d’Or more than anyone. I hope that (Lautaro) Martinez wins the Ballon d’Or… I hope he will be rewarded. He is a boy that I appreciate a lot. He has been with us since the beginning. I hope he can get it. If not now, it will be later. He still has a great future.”

It will be interesting to see which player wins this award, with the two Real Madrid players being the favorites.