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• Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior remain the frontrunners for the coveted 2024 Ballon d'Or award
• This is despite both failing to win the continental Euro 2024 and Copa America with their countries
• Spain beat England 2-1 to become the first country to win four European football championships on July 14

The 2024 Ballon d'Or debate is now expected to kick off in earnest following the conclusion of the 2023/2024 season.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored late for Spain to win Euro 2024 at England's expense following a highly entertaining game in Berlin.

In June, Real Madrid won a record-extending Champions League title, with its main protagonists, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, emerging as the top candidates.

The season is now pretty much over, and Legit.ng looks at how the vote to succeed Lionel Messi on October 28th could go.

2024 Ballon d'Or favourites

6. Phil Foden

Foden was the main star in a history-making Manchester City side that became the first side to win four successive Premier League titles. His 19 goals and eight assists helped him win the Best Player Award.

Manchester City's 'early' elimination from the Champions League meant that he needed a solid tournament in Germany to scale up in the rankings, but that didn't materialise. He finished Euro 2024 without a goal or an assist, which will severely impact his chances despite England reaching the final.

5. Kylian Mbappe - PSG/France

Only Harry Kane outscored the new Real Madrid forward in European major leagues this season. However, the major talking point of his season was his inability to win the Champions League yet again with PSG.

His tournament in Germany didn't go as planned either, with a nose injury in the opening game restricting him to only two goal involvements as France were dumped out in the semi-finals.

He won three trophies in his final season in Paris.

4. Harry Kane - Bayern Munich/England

His move to Bayern Munich was expected to bring him trophies, but a dominant Bayer Leverkusen side saw the Bavarians miss out on both domestic titles.

They were also heartbreakingly eliminated by Real Madrid in the Champions League, leaving him only with his numerous goals - the most by anyone in Europe - to sell his case.

Like everyone else in England's squad, his outing in Germany was far from convincing, but he ended up as one of the joint top scorers. He failed to impact the final, lasting barely an hour before he was hooked off.

And the supposed trophy curse continues.

3. Rodri - Manchester City/Spain

The midfield lynchpin has emerged as the most dependable player in Pep Guardiola's side so much so that the masterful tactician appeared out of sorts on what to do when he was banned for three games last year.

He isn't your go-to person for goals, but when he does, it is often in crucial moments. He chipped in with 15 goals and 12 assists, and whichever way you look at it, that's impressive for a defensive midfielder.

The metronome failed to last the entire Euro 2024 final due to injury but his impact had already been felt since June 14, as he was crowned the Player of the Tournament by UEFA.

2. Vinicius Junior - Real Madrid/Brazil

The Brazilian was perceived as the outright frontrunner heading into Euro 2024 and Copa America. His exploits with Real Madrid in the knock-out stages of the Champions League put him in pole position to win his first gong.

He finished the season with 26 goals and 12 assists, winning three trophies along the way.

However, with many expecting him to carry Brazil in Neymar's absence, Vinicius failed to shine for the Samba Boys in the United States. He picked up a suspension in the last group game and therefore forced to watch helplessly as they crashed out to Uruguay in the quarter-finals.

1. Jude Bellingham - Real Madrid/England

Bellingham took to life in Madrid like a duck to water, quickly racing to the front in the Pichichi race. He came up with important goals, perhaps none as crucial as the ones in El Clasico.

His goal returns for a traditional midfielder are great, but the major drawback in his case was that he didn't rise to the occasion in Madrid's run-up to their Champions League win. He only assisted once in the Round of 16 and was hooked off in the semi-final and final.

Vinicius's poor showing in Copa America has largely helped his case. He also scored a vital goal for England in the Round of 16 and assisted Cole Palmer's equaliser in the final.

As it stands, a case can be made for either of the two Real Madrid players now that England fell short at the final hurdle once again. But from where we sit, Bellingham edged Vinicius a little bit on account of reaching the latter stages of the continental championships.

Outside contenders

Toni Kroos, Lautaro Martinez, Florian Wirtz and Lionel Messi will have a thing or two to say in the vote but are not expected to challenge the aforementioned names for podium places.

Messi won the Copa America again with Argentina but failed to light up the tournament, finishing with only one goal. His lack of European football also makes him highly unlikely to compete with the Champions League winners despite his impressive numbers in Major League Soccer.

How much Spain got for winning Euro 2024

Legit.ng has also reported that Spain will reap big from winning Euro 2024.

Spain's 2-1 victory over England saw them become the first nation to win four European football championships.

They will take the Lions's share of the total prize kitty of €331 million.

Source: Legit.ng

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