The name of the 2023 Ballon d’Or will be officially revealed during the ceremony organized for the occasion on October 30. And in the years to come, Rio Ferndinand sees Jude Bellingham glean at least one.
Who will succeed Karim Benzema on the Ballon d’Or list? For now, the mystery remains complete. Several names still seem to stand out. First that of Lionel Messi crowned 2022 world champion with Argentina. Then Erling Haaland, whose harvest of trophies (including that of the Champions League) with Manchester City, associated with a shower of goals, can allow him to dream. And finally Kylian Mbappé, luminous with the France team, despite the Qatari World Cup final lost on penalties, and always decisive with PSG. But for some observers, the head is already in the sequel.
Rio Ferdinand is looking a little further ahead than October 30, the date of the 2023 Ballon d’Or award ceremony. The former England international spoke about the BBC to give the name of a compatriot who, according to him, is on the way to affording one or two BOs. “ (Jude) Bellingham can go on and win the Ballon d’Or. I will be very surprised if this boy does not end his career with at least one, if not two or three Ballon d’Ors.“
The first since Owen?
A great proof of confidence from the former Manchester United defender towards his young compatriot, only twenty years old. Player of Borussia Dortmund where he revealed himself last season, Jude Bellingham has been playing at Real Madrid since this summer with a rapid and for the moment perfect adaptation. Enough perhaps to succeed, in a more or less near future, the last Englishman honored by the award of a Golden Ball. It was more than two decades ago, when Michael Owen, also a former Real Madrid player, lifted the trophy in 2001.
