Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has put forward his prediction for a future Ballon d’Or winner after the end of the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo “cycle.”
Messi and Ronaldo dominated the Ballon d’Or podium for a decade in a heated rivalry, with Ronaldo first lifting the award in 2008 during his time at United.
The pair’s 10-year stranglehold over France Football’s sought-after prize came to an end in 2018 after Real Madrid star Luka Modric lifted the Ballon d’Or award.
Following on from 2018, Messi broke his five-Ballon d’Or win deadlock with Al Nassr captain Ronaldo by going on to lift the award a further three times.
The 36-year-old Inter Miami star lifted his record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or award back in October after leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup trophy in Qatar.
Despite winning the 2023 edition of the Ballon d’Or, it’s believed the Messi and Ronaldo era of Ballon d’Or wins is ‘over’ and neither player is likely to lift it again.
Rooney rates Jude Bellingham’s Ballon d’Or chances
Jude Bellingham has enjoyed a scintillating season with Real Madrid so far after Los Blancos snapped him up from Borussia Dortmund in an £88.5m move last summer.
The 20-year-old Madrid midfielder has been in red-hot form for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, with Bellingham scoring an impressive 15 times in 17 appearances for his side.
Bellingham’s stunning run of form even saw him surpass Ronaldo as the first player to score the most amount of times for Madrid in their first 15 matches at the club.
The Los Blancos star, who was once linked with United, even placed 18th in the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist, finishing one spot ahead of England teammate Harry Kane.
Bellingham, who lifted France Football’s Kopa Trophy in October, has now received the endorsement of Rooney as a potential challenger for a future Ballon d’Or award.
Why Rooney thinks Bellingham will win a Ballon d’Or
Rooney is currently managing the same club where Bellingham made a name for himself before the England international left Birmingham City for Dortmund.
The 38-year-old former United striker has praised the ex-Birmingham player for his impact in the Spanish capital, even tipping him to be a future England captain.
Bellingham holds Rooney in high regard and has spoken about his huge influence on him growing up, admiring the ex-England and United captain’s elite mentality.
Speaking on Bellingham, Rooney praised the Three Lions star for “really shining” at Madrid and has even tipped him to make a real impact at Euro 2024 next summer.
“If he keeps doing what he’s doing, then why not? Again, we’ve gone through that cycle of Messi and Ronaldo where they’ve dominated that,” he told Sky Sports.
“I’m sure there will be five or six players fighting to try and win the next one. I’m sure if he keeps doing what he’s doing he’ll be right up there.
“It’s great to see a young English lad take the opportunity to go and play abroad, be brave, he did really well in Germany and is now at one of the biggest clubs in the world and really shining.
“I’m really pleased for him and hopefully he can take that into the Euros and help us be successful.”
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