Lionel Messi has snubbed Jude Bellingham in his list of future Ballon d’Or winners.
The Argentinian gave his thoughts on the future generation in an interview with L’Equipe, he said: “The players to compete for the Ballon d’Or in the coming years? There may be a very beautiful rivalry in the coming years with players like Haaland, Mbappe, Vinicius and many young players competing for the Ballon d’Or.
“I also think that Lamine Yamal, who is still very young and now plays for Barcelona, will play a prominent role and fight for it in the future too.
“Certainly there will be others competing for it, new players that we do not know will appear, because there are always new players, and I think it will be a very beautiful era to enjoy.”
Of course, Messi is best known for his record-breaking years at Barcelona. The Catalan’s arch-rivals are Real Madrid, who Bellingham currently plays for. Despite the snub, Bellingham has impressed during his season in La Liga already contributing with 20 goals and nine assists so far this season. Messi arguably has the right to decide who the winners of the coveted award should be, the legend has won eight awards over three decades.
Real Madrid will, no doubt, be looking to secure their 36th La Liga title this season. Los Blancos currently lead the spanish division by eight points. Current champions, Barcelona, seem their closest rivals but are unlikely to be able to claw back such a large margin.
Bellingham may not be aware of Messi’s comments but claimed he still has a way to go to get to what he described as ‘the top.’
When speaking to Sky Sports, he said:
“I have a really good support network – my family, my friends, they keep me really grounded.
“I don’t feel like a kid who’s at the top … I feel like I go in every day to work like everyone else, and I’m just privileged that my work I enjoy it as much as I do.
“My family keeps me grounded and they make me enjoy it every day and come home to feel quite normal.”
The 20-year-old featured in England’s draw against Belgium last week. He finished in the dying embers of the match to snatch a 2-2 draw on a disappointing night at Wembley. England fans will be looking to Bellingham to drag them to victory in this summer’s Euros.
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