The Ballon d’Or seemed destined for Vinicius this season, but the Madrid winger’s poor Copa América performance, in which he lost in the quarter-finals to Brazil and was also suspended for accumulating yellow cards, opens up the possibility that there may be other alternatives today.
The most notable is Jude Bellingham. The Englishman would have a good chance of winning the Euro Cup if he were to win. He would combine his two titles with Madrid – the Champions League and the League – with his first title with England since 1966. In other words, quite a feat. A treble that would surely bring him closer to the award in a definitive way.
Things could be very different if Spain win the final. Then, the option of Vinicius would be reopened as there was no one at the Euros among his rivals who had taken advantage of the opportunity.
At the same time, it would give rise to a Spanish player who could dream of being named the best player in the world. Rodri is the most likely in that sense. He is a key player and would have the Premier League and Euros in his list of achievements this season as a backup. Carvajal, even as a right-back, would also have an almost incomparable list of titles: La Liga and Champions League with Madrid and Euro with Spain.
The rest of the possibilities seem far from the award, even in a year in which it is particularly open. The Copa America final could give Messi another title with Argentina, but leaving for Inter Miami is almost synonymous with giving up the award he has won eight times. Mbappé will also present an incomplete candidacy: he won the French league with PSG, but nothing more. He lost where he really should have done his best, in the Euro and the Champions League.
The Euro final is therefore the final of an award in which Bellingham appears to be the main favourite. The Englishman is playing for the prize in one game. If he wins the Euro and has a good performance, the Ballon d’Or could be his; otherwise, the other candidates will remain active and expectant in the run-up to the grand final ceremony on 28 October. Before then, on 4 September, the names of the finalists will be announced.
