Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has named the players he believes will be competing for the prestigious award in the coming years.
L'Equipe quotes Messi as saying:
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.
In the current season, Norwegian Erling Haaland, 23, took part in 34 matches for Manchester City, scored 29 goals and gave six assists. Transfermarkt portal estimates the striker's value at €180 million.
Brazilian Vinicius Junior, 23, played in 28 matches for Real Madrid, scoring 18 goals and making 8 assists. Transfermarkt estimates the winger's value at €150 million.
Kylian Mbappe, 25, took part in 37 matches for PSG, scoring 38 goals and making 8 assists. According to Transfermarkt, the Frenchman is worth €180 million.