“All three of those will be contenders” - Gary Neville insists 3 England stars will be in race to win 2024 Ballon d'Or winner

Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes that Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, and Phil Foden are all in the race to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or.

The former defender also stated that Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka isn't far behind the trio. However, it was Foden, Bellingham, and Kane who were named in the Champions League team of the season.

Speaking about their potential to win the prize, Neville wrote in The Overlap newsletter (via Metro):

"The UEFA team of the season was released on Monday made up of the best players in the Champions League in the 2023/24 season and Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane, were all in it."

"All three of those will be Ballon d'Or contenders at the end of the year. Only France, with Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, have comparable attacking talent to England right now."

Bellingham is probably the most likely of the three to win the honor, given his Champions League triumph with Real Madrid this season. He also won La Liga with the Spanish giants, bagging 19 goals and six assists in 28 appearances in the competition.

Meanwhile, Kane enjoyed a stellar first year with Bayern Munich, although the German outfit went trophyless. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker scored 44 goals and bagged 12 assists from 45 matches across competitions.

Finally, Phil Foden helped Manchester City claim their fourth consecutive Premier League title this year. He made 53 appearances across competitions for the Cityzens, bagging 27 goals and 12 assists.

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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti backs Vinicius Junior to win 2024 Ballon d'Or over Jude Bellingham

Vinicius Junior

Although Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior have played crucial parts in Real Madrid's season, manager Carlo Ancelotti has tipped the Brazilian to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or.

The 23-year-old winger stepped up on the night of the Champions League final and scored his team's second goal against Borussia Dortmund to seal the tie (2-0). Speaking after the match, Ancelotti said (via Fabrizio Romano):

"Vini Jr deserves the Ballon d’Or. I’ve no doubts."

Vinicius has made 39 appearances across competitions this season for Real Madrid, bagging 24 goals and 11 assists. He will now prepare for Copa America action with Brazil.

Should he help the South American nation go a long way in the competition, the attacker might just be the favorite for this year's Ballon d'Or.