The European Championship and the America's Cup are already in the past. The main intrigue for the rest of the year: who will win the Ballon d'Or? The ceremony will take place at the end of October in Paris.

Journalists highly value Rodri. Vinicius made his situation worse after the America's Cup
According to Goal.com, the main contender for the Ballon d'Or is Manchester City midfielder Rodri. Last season, he and the club won the English Championship, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. And a few days ago he received a gold medal at the European Championship and the title of best football player of the tournament.

On the second line of the Goal rating is Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior.

Here is what they write about the South American: “When the Brazilian solved his problems with his physical form, he showed himself perfectly. A hat-trick in the Super Cup final with Barça, a productive game in La Liga, outstanding performances in decisive matches of the Champions League. However, this summer things didn't go according to plan. Vinicius scored twice against Paraguay in the group stage of the Copa America, but then earned a ban for the quarter-finals.

As a result, he watched from the stands as his team lost in a penalty shootout. This appears to have opened the door for another Ballon d'Or contender.

Rounding out the top three is Jude Bellingham.

The best footballer of the first half of the 2023/2024 season, he not only scored often, but also did it in important matches. The hype around the Englishman died down somewhat at the start of 2024, partly due to Jude missing matches due to injury and suspension. However, he confirmed his bid for the Ballon d'Or with his tireless performance at the end of the season. Jude helped knock Manchester City out of the Champions League and again scored the winner in El Clasico. He scored two important goals at the Euro, especially the overhead kick that allowed the England team to go into overtime and then not be eliminated from the tournament at the ⅛ final stage.

Victory in the final would certainly have led to Jude's first Ballon d'Or, but now he will most likely have to settle for a place in the top three.

Don’t forget the fourth European 2024 champion with Spain, winner of the Champions League and La Liga with Real Madrid, Dani Carvajal.

The top 5 is completed by America's Cup top scorer Lautaro Martinez. There was still room in the top ten for Toni Kroos, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Nico Williams. Is Messi on the list? Yes, he is in 16th place. But Cristiano Ronaldo is not even in the top 20.