The Theatre du Chatelet in Paris is being watched by football fans across the world as they anticipate the annual Ballon d’Or presentation.
After leading Argentina to the summit of football, Lionel Messi is the heavy favorite to win a record eighth Ballon d’Or.
However, that is not the only exciting thing happening that evening. In addition to the Men’s and Women’s Ballon d’Ors, Real Madrid fans will be interested in the Yashin Trophy and the Kopa Trophy.
Prodigy from Real Madrid who won the award
MARCA has predicted that Jude Bellingham will be named the Ballon d’Or winner and Kopa trophy winner later today. This means he will replace Gavi of Barcelona as the greatest U21 player in the world.
After leading Dortmund to the brink of the Bundesliga title and shining for England in the World Cup in Qatar, he deserves this recognition.
He is widely expected to repeat as champion and to win the Golden Boy award for the current campaign.
Bellingham, who has played for Borussia Dortmund and England, has also been nominated for the Ballon d’Or. His early success with Real Madrid warrants this honor, but it won’t be given until the following year.
Additional potential Real Madrid participants
Karim Benzema, a former striker for Real Madrid, is one of the many players vying for this year’s Ballon d’Or. Bellingham, Luka Modric, and Vincius Jr. are the only active players from Real Madrid.
After Messi’s World Cup victory, however, none of them has a legitimate shot of winning.
Among the female Ballon d’Or candidates are Los Blancos’ Linda Caicedo, Olga Carmona, and Hayley Raso.
Teammate and fan favorite Jude Bellingham is also in the running for the Kopa Trophy, and Thibaut Courtois is in the running for the Yashin Trophy.