Lionel Messi landed the 2023 Ballon d'Or award on Monday 30 October, securing this accolade for an incredible record-breaking eighth occasion. However, will there be a changing of the guard in 2024?

The betting sites think that the Inter Miami forward is unlikely to add to his eight Ballon d'Or titles, with Jude Bellingham having been installed as the early favourite.

The Real Madrid midfielder has earned rave reviews for his performances since a big money move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, although the best betting apps think that the England maestro could have Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland for competition.

The pair were third and second respectively in the 2023 voting and they're regarded as likelier winners than fourth favourite Messi, while Harry Kane is also trading at single figures and an England Euro 2024 success could see the Bayern Munich man firmly in contention. Rodri comes next in the betting and the Manchester City midfielder was fifth in the voting for this year's award. 

Bellingham Could Be Set for 2024 Ballon d'Or

Jude Bellingham is a player with the world at his feet. The 20-year-old won the Kopa Trophy at the 2023 Ballon d'Or awards and will surely win the main prize at some point in his career.

That success could come as early as 2024 according to the football betting sites. They have installed the Real Madrid starlet as their market leader, with Bellingham currently shining brightly in La Liga and he's also become one of the first names on the teamsheet for England.

A Champions League success for Los Merengues and/or a Euro 2024 triumph with the Three Lions could be enough to canvas enough votes for the former Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund maestro.

Many thought it might take a while to adjust to life at the Bernabeu, although Bellingham has already hit double figures for the season in La Liga including a brace in the recent El Clasico in Barcelona.

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Haaland In the Hunt For 2024 Ballon d'Or

Manchester City won the 2022/23 Champions League to make it a treble after securing a fifth Premier League title in the space of six seasons along with an FA Cup success. City owed plenty to the scoring feats of Erling Haaland, who managed to score an incredible 52 goals in 53 appearances for Pep Guardiola's side.

Haaland has truly announced himself on a world stage in the past couple of seasons and he finished second to Lionel Messi when it came to the 2023 award. There's a chance he can go one better in 2024, although the disadvantage is that Norway won't be lining up at Euro 2024 which means firing home a stack of goals for City might not be enough. 

The new betting sites currently have Haaland as third favourite in the betting and he is a shorter price than Messi. It looks as though the forward will top score in the  Premier League for the second season running although will that be enough to top the standings?

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Mbappe Could Challenge Bellingham for 2024 Award

It's clear that Kylian Mbappe is one of the best football players in the world. That was reflected by his third-placed finish in the 2023 Ballon d'Or standings, with the French captain following home Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup which included a hat-trick for Les Bleus in their final defeat to Argentina on penalties. Perhaps he can now secure a maiden Ballon d'Or success in 2024.

PSG looks set to go deep in the Champions League and France will line up at Euro 2024 as one of the favourites to succeed in Germany. The 24-year-old has already scored 43 international goals for France, while he boasts an astonishing strike rate of 145 goals in 158 appearances for his club. 

There have previously been strong rumours linking Mbappe to Real Madrid but the player now seems more settled and his betting odds suggest he will be in strong contention for the award.

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Ballon d'Or Number Nine For Messi?

Lionel Messi has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or an incredible eight times, with many regarding the 36-year-old as the greatest player of all time. The forward helped Argentina land the 2022 World Cup last December, with the former Barcelona and PSG star highly instrumental in helping his country record this incredible achievement.

It came as no surprise that Messi was able to land the Ballon d'Or for a record eighth time in October, although the football betting sites think that the Inter Miami forward might not add to his total of eight awards, with the player trading at a bigger price than Bellingham, Mbappe and Haaland.

While Messi is now lighting up the stage in the MLS,, the jury is out on whether his exploits for Inter Miami will be enough to secure enough votes, although the fact that there's a Copa America next year means that the bookies aren't offering too big a price about this player. 

Harry Kane

Can Kane Rise From Nineteenth to First?

It's likely that Harry Kane will improve on his 19th place in the 2023 Ballon d'Or standings when it comes to the 2024 award.

After all, the forward started plundering goals for Bayern Munich as soon as he completed a big money move from Tottenham, while the England captain could end up lifting the Euro 2024 trophy in Germany next summer.

The 30-year-old has got plenty of time to secure this trophy at least once in his career and a Champions League success with the Bundesliga champions could certainly be on the cards. However, the fact that he finished so low down the pecking order in October 2023 means that it would take something special to jump up 18 places. 

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Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne Also Among Favourites

Despite playing in a defensive midfield position for Manchester City, it was interesting to see Rodri finishing fifth in the 2023 Ballon d'Or standings. The Spaniard scored the winning goal in the 2023 Champions League final for Manchester City and his overall performance level for club and country saw plenty of votes come his way.

The 27-year-old looks like he has a sniff when it comes to the 2024 award, especially if City repeat last season's amazing treble success. He will also look to help La Roja to a Euro 2024 success, with the former Atletico Madrid player trading at a shorter price than club team-mate Kevin De Bruyne who is currently injured.

Despite an injury-hit 2023, De Bruyne was able to finish as high as fourth in the Ballon d'Or voting although time could now be running out for the 32-year-old when it comes to winning this award. 

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