Alessandro Del Piero picks his 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, claims Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo didn't always deserve award

Italian icon Alessandro Del Piero has had his say on Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and the Ballon d'Or in a recent interview. The former Italian forward also touched on the era of domination La Pulga and Ronaldo enjoyed.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports Italy (via Football Italia), the Juventus icon revealed that he hoped Real Madrid Midfielder Jude Bellingham would win the award and said:

“I hope that the Ballon d’Or is tied not only to the victories and defeats of a player but to his real efficacy within the team, how much he can improve the squad and those around him,

Del Piero had a few choice words about the recently concluded era that saw Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi repeatedly win the award, saying:

“We are coming off an era where Ronaldo and Messi dominated. That was often deserved, but not always, in some occasions others would’ve deserved to get the award.”

The Juventus legend pointed out that success in Euro 2024 would help Bellingham's chances, adding:

“The Euros and the World Cup should only matter to a certain degree, They are big tournaments, but if the Ballon d’Or has to evaluate the full year, then it has to take other things into consideration too."

"There are many players who have incredible years. I want to be clear, sometimes we get confused and think the Ballon d’Or should go to absolutely the most talented player, but that’s not what it is for.”

Jude Bellingham will hope he can lift the greatest individual award in football. The Englishman turns 21 later this month but has already won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's era of dominance in the Ballon d'Or

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominated the football landscape for over a decade and cemented their places as two of the greatest players to ever play the game. They first appeared on the Ballon d’Or podium In 2007 and never really left for the next decade.

The pair have a combined total of 13 wins at the awards, with La Pulga claiming the honor eight times and the Portuguese winning it on five occasions. The height of their competition came while they both played in La Liga, with Ronaldo winning four in that time and Messi claiming six.

Cristiano Ronaldo won the prize at Manchester United in 2008, then claimed his remaining prizes at Real Madrid in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.

Lionel Messi won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011,2012, 2015, and 2019 while he played for Barcelona. He won the award two more times, once at Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and another time in 2023.

It appears that the era of dominance between the pair is over, with a new generation of players like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr now in the spotlight.