…Bellingham currently leads the way in the Ballon d’Or odds – a three-way race that should be settled by 14 July
Jude Bellingham is a Real Madrid legend in the making, and only leaving the club in the next few years or a dramatic drop in quality will prevent that from becoming a fact.
Neither appear likely. In his first season at arguably the biggest club in the world – and certainly where pressure exceeds all others – Bellingham is thriving and has already entered Madrid folklore thanks to his El Clasico contributions and iconic celebration to boot.
Six months ago, he scored an injury-time winner at Barcelona as Madrid fought back from a goal down to win 2-1. Arms raised aloft as he soaked up the opposing fans’ fury.
On Sunday night, he scored an injury-time winner against Barcelona as Madrid twice fought back from a goal down to win 3-2. Arms raised aloft as he soaked up the Bernabeu’s adoration.
Copy, paste, job all-but done. “Virtual champions,” wrote both Spanish papers Marca and AS, while Madrid fans serenaded Bellingham and mocked rivals Barca by urging head coach Xavi to stay.
The gap is nearly insurmountable. Madrid are 11 points clear of Barca at the top of the Liga table with just six games to go.
So beyond a legendary status that could take a few more years to forge, in the immediate term Bellingham looks a shoo-in for individual accolades at both club and league level.
The 20-year-old is second in the overall league scoring charts (17) behind Girona’s Artem Dovbyk (18), while in all competitions Bellingham has scored 21 goals – two more than teammate Vinicius Junior.
Only Vinicius (11) has more assists than Bellingham (10) for Madrid this season, meaning the latter will likely end his debut campaign with the La Liga MVP award as well as a winners’ medal.
It would be some start in Spain for the man from Stourbridge, who is no longer a boy or a teenager but a player who boasts a maturity beyond his years.
Last week Rio Ferdinand could barely believe what he was hearing when, barely half an hour after the penalty shootout win against Manchester City, Bellingham spoke with a silver tongue about Madrid’s victory over the Champions League holders.
Bellingham said: “I think you’ve got to see it as a responsibility more than a pressure.
“If you want to come to a club like Real Madrid then you have to be willing to be criticised, be under that scrutiny and under that spotlight.
“The club do a great job and if they don’t think you are ready they will ease you in. But if you are here then they probably think you can handle it.”
Prompting Ferdinand, mid-interview on TNT Sports, to interject: “How’s he answering these questions so eloquently? Tell me how old you are, bro?”
Ferdinand’s reaction was a microcosm of fans everywhere, while Bellingham’s evident intelligence stretches beyond football with his interviews in Spanish improving by the week – showcasing his willingness to learn and adapt to his surroundings.
He is evidently popular with his teammates, too, and together they will want more than just the league title. They are now the Champions League favourites, with Bayern Munich standing in their way of the final, where Paris Saint-Germain or Borussia Dortmund await.
The path may be tricky, but it is not hard to visualise a beaming Bellingham holding the European Cup after ensuring his side win it a 15th time – perhaps with a goal or two of his own.
That would further enhance Bellingham’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, a race he currently leads, and one that would see him become the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Though a dizzying prospect, in reality it appears likely that only Kylian Mbappe or a compatriot can stop him, with the Champions League outcome the first of two defining factors.
If Madrid win this competition, the Ballon d’Or is surely Bellingham’s, but with PSG in the other semi-final it could yet lead to a fascinating showdown in the Wembley final that swings the balance in Mbappe’s favour.
Talk of a Madrid-PSG final is premature, however. Despite a Bundesliga campaign to forget, Bayern could upset the odds against Madrid with the help of Harry Kane, who has carried his side and reached 40 goals for the season in the weekend win over Union Berlin.
Kane may not be collecting a much-desired league title, but still has the Champions League in his sights, and together with Bellingham he will then lead England’s charge at Euro 2024 – the second and perhaps most defining factor of the Ballon d’Or race.
After the Euro 2024 final on 14 July, the debate should be settled. If favourites England win, it could be a case of whether Bellingham or Kane were more influential, but if Gareth Southgate’s side fall short, it opens the door for Mbappe.
France are second favourites and do, after all, boast greater experience in major tournaments of late, beating England in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final before losing the final to Argentina, in which Mbappe scored a hat-trick.
Mbappe, who has scored 41 goals in 42 games for PSG this season, already has a World Cup winners’ medal too from 2018, and the France captain is likely to dictate his nation’s prospects in Germany.
Two outside shouts for the Ballon d’Or, Manchester City duo Phil Foden and Rodri, will need to outshine the pack and lead their nation to the Euros, while their City teammate Erling Haaland is unlikely to have a chance given Norway are not competing.
Ballon d’Or 2024 odds
Odds correct at time of writing on 22 April
Jude Bellingham – 5-2
Kylian Mbappe – 11-4
Harry Kane – 7-1
Erling Haaland – 10-1
Phil Foden – 10-1
Rodri – 12-1
Lionel Messi – 16-1
Vinicius Jr – 16-1
Cristiano Ronaldo – 100-1
Meanwhile, eight-time winner Lionel Messi can never be ruled out, especially with a Copa America to come this summer as well, while his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo may hope a Portugal triumph – not out the question given their spine – can add weight to his cause given few take his Saudi Arabia haul seriously.
In truth, though, it looks to be a three-way shootout for the Ballon d’Or, with Bellingham, Mbappe and Kane likely to claim podium places later this year.
The bookies are narrowly backing Bellingham for now, but expect the momentum to shift as the Champions League and then Euros play out.
And when the winner is announced later this year, the next fascinating chapter will already have started, with Mbappe joining Bellingham at Madrid this summer.
Forge a quick understanding and football could be about to witness a lethal link-up for the ages. That, or there is a dramatic fallout, which given theatrics are never far away at Madrid, is never out of the question.
Inews
