Veteran footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been named in the 2024 Ballon d’Or power ranking even though they are no longer playing in Europe.
Cristiano Ronaldo who was not part of the top ten of the 2023 Ballon d’Or, is currently ranked 19th in the top 20 power ranking released by Goal for April.
Ronaldo who currently plays at Al Nassr, a Saudi Pro League club, is ranked above the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi, who is placed at the 20th spot in the ranking.
Interestingly, Jude Bellingham who has been unstoppable since he joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund ahead of this season, is ranked first in the Ballon d’Or power ranking.
Phil Foden of Manchester City is ranked second behind his international teammate, Bellingham.
Kylian Mbappe who has been carrying Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League campaign is ranked third.
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The top five is completed by two Manchester City players, Erling Haaland, and Rodri even though they have lost out of the Champions League campaign.
This means that if the Ballon d’Or award was to be given this month, Bellingham would have been named the winner and Foden named the second runner-up.
Note that the placement of these players in the Ballon d’Or power ranking is expected to change drastically from March because their placement will be determined by winning the UEFA Champions League, and their domestic league titles.
Below is the 2024 Ballon d’Or power ranking for April:
1: Jude Bellingham
2: Phil Foden
3: Kylian Mbappé
4: Erling Halaand
5: Rodri
6: Harry Kane
7: Vinicius
8: Antoine Griezmann
9: Florian Wirtz
10: Bukayo Saka
11: Mohamed Salah
12: Julian Alvarez
13: Kevin De Bruyne
14: Bernardo Silva
15: Declan Rice
16: Virgil Van Dijk
17: Lautaro Martinez
18: Rodrygo
19: Cristiano Ronaldo
20: Lionel Messi