Predicting the best players who may never win the Ballon d’Or because of Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe
Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe are on course to disappoint a whole new generation of superstars.
Lionel Messi may have won his eighth Ballon d'Or - watch out for his uber fans petitioning to have it renamed - but there is a strong chance he will never get anywhere near again, along with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Instead, Haaland and Mbappe, who came second and third respectively, have been earmarked by Messi himself to take over and dominate the award.
And Bellingham, who many might argue is currently the world's best player on form and won the Kopa Trophy, will also likely be in the race to win the Ballon d'Or.
The trio could dominate the competition for the next decade, with Mbappe aged 24, Haaland aged 23 and Bellingham aged just 20.
But for the other talented superstars in the footballing world, that will likely leave them out of the picture entirely.
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That includes some players who are already established as some of the biggest names on the planet, such as Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne.
While Salah, 31, and De Bruyne, 32, might be approaching the tail ends of their careers, the Ballon d'Or has usually been won by someone in their 30s.
In fact, the last time a player won it in their 20s was Messi in 2015 when he was 28 with Luka Modric lifting in in 2018 at the age of 33 and Karim Benzema last year aged 34.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Salah did not reach the top 10 this year at the Ballon d'Or, instead finishing 11th after scoring 30 times and assisting 16 goals.
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While Liverpool did not win a trophy, the Egypt international put up an astonishing campaign that by anyone's standards would be extraordinary.
If he cannot break into the top three with such stats now, Mbappe and Haaland's dominance in the Ballon d'Or already might be a hurdle too far.
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Without De Bruyne, Haaland likely would not have stood a chance of finishing in the top three as it was the Belgian's assists that gave the striker most of his goals.
In total, De Bruyne made an incredible 31 assists - 13 of them were finished by the Norwegian en route to the treble.
The playmaker came fourth in the 2023 Ballon d'Or, pulling the strings in Pep Guardiola's side, but at 32 is running out of time to go on and win it.
Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Kane also might believe he has a strong chance if he can win the Champions League with Bayern Munich this season, having started life in Germany rapidly with 14 goals in 13 games.
The England international turned 30 in the summer and knows that Father Time will catch up one day but his main sights are set on winning a trophy before looking at the Ballon d'Or after a barren spell at Tottenham.
Looking at those who might have set their sights on dominating football over the next decade, some huge stars such as Vinicius Jr, Pedri, Gavi, Bukayo Saka, Jamal Musiala and Victor Osimhen are likely to become talked about almost on a weekly basis.
Pedri and Gavi (Barcelona)
Barcelona duo Pedri and Gavi have been earmarked as this generation's version of Andres Iniesta and Xavi at the Nou Camp.
In 2022, Gavi won the Kopa Trophy while Pedri won 2021's edition and they are already key players at Barca, though the latter is currently injured.
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
At Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr had been the poster boy before Bellingham rumbled the scene this summer with his incredible start to life at the club.
While the Brazilian remains one of Carlo Ancelotti's best players, he might have to fall behind his teammate in terms of individual prizes.
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
In the Premier League, the undoubted up-and-coming jewel is Saka, who is arguably Arsenal's most important player.
The England international might feel aggrieved at finishing 24th this year at the Ballon d'Or but if the Gunners start winning trophies, he will likely catapult up the list.
But toppling Haaland and Mbappe might prove a hurdle too far for the 22-year-old, whose impressive 25 goal contributions last season place him nowhere near Haaland's 61 or Mbappe's 51.
Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
Musiala might have something to say about that, though, as he looks already on the path to becoming an elite player at the age of 20.
It's a great story for him and Bellingham - England youth teammates and now starring for the two biggest clubs in Europe.
If he can forge a strong connection with Kane up front at Bayern, the German giants can become a dominant force yet again in Europe.
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Osimhen might find it difficult to do much more after leading Napoli to the Serie A title last season with his 26 goals in 32 appearances.
The Nigeria international ranked eighth in the Ballon d'Or this year but the striker has already started this season in top form with six goals in eight league games.
And if the 24-year-old can land Napoli a first Champions League title, that would undoubtedly see him rise up the list.
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However, his best bet might be to leave the Italian club for a bigger team such as Real Madrid, who are looking for a long-term Karim Benzema replacement, or even PSG to team up with Mbappe.
But overall, the top three footballers who look to dominate the Ballon d'Or already look solidified in Mbappe, Haaland and Bellingham and it will take someone special to rock that apple cart.