The Ballon d'Or will be awarded in four months, at a ceremony scheduled to be held in Paris on 28 October. Argentine magician Lionel Messi currently holds the prestigious golden ball after holding off stiff competition from Manchester City forward Erling Haaland to clinch a record eighth Ballon d'Or.

Messi was awarded the trophy on the back of captaining Argentina to a third World Cup success in their history as they won the Qatar-hosted showpiece in 2022. Haaland finished as runner-up despite a record-breaking campaign during his debut season in the English Premier League.

Ahead of the 2024 ceremony, which will be the 68th since the first golden orb was awarded to Englishman Stanley Matthews back in 1956, there are again two men jostling to lay their hands on the individual accolade.

Real Madrid superstars Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham are the pair in the forefront this year. Both players were instrumental as Los Blancos claimed a record-extending 15th Uefa Champions League title, as well as clinching the Spanish league title.

With the club season for 2023/2024 having concluded, the pair still has an opportunity to strengthen their hopes of claiming the award. Vinicius will be imperative if Brazil are to win a 10th Copa America title. The same is true for England and Bellingham as they pursue a maiden European Championship crown.

Despite a first half of the season hampered by injury niggles that included a hamstring injury and a torn thigh muscle -Vinicius was vital to Madrid's ultimately memorable and trophy-filled season.

The Brazilian played 39 games in all competitions. In the process, he scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists to his teammates on the way to the La Liga and Champions double haul.

The fancy-footed forward managed his great performances in spite of being a regular target of racist vitriol from fans.

"I just want to play football, but it's hard to move forward ... I feel less and less like playing," Vinicius said, addressing being a regular target of racism since arriving in Spain, during a press conference in March 2024.

"I will stay because, that way, the racists can continue to see my face more and more. I'm a bold player, I play for Real Madrid and we win a lot of titles and that doesn't sit well with a lot of people," the 23-year-old stated.

Following a stellar club season, Vinicius will be the main man for Brazil at US-hosted Copa America - which kicked off on 20 June and will be played until 14 July.

The attacker's contributions - especially in the injury-induced absence of Neymar - will be integral if Brazil are to claim their first Copa title since winning the tournament as hosts in 2019.

Should Vinicius indeed carry his club form into the Brazil team, it is difficult to see anyone else being awarded the men's Ballon d'Or gong. Of course, if Brazil and the Real stars have an underwhelming tournament, this may knock down the dribbling wizard's odds.

Jude Bellingham Such a capitulation by Brazil would heavily benefit Bellingham, bolstering his own chances of becoming the first Englishman to land the accolade since Michael Owen's triumph in 2001. Owen's win came two years before Bellingham was born.

After enhancing his ever-growing reputation with some majestic performances during three fruitful years with Germany's Borussia Dortmund, multi-functional midfielder Bellingham adjusted to Spanish soccer with surprising ease.

The Englishman impressively scored five goals in his four matches for Madrid at the beginning of the 2023/2024. Though he lost some steam in the second half of the season - Bellingham still ended the club season with 23 goals and 13 assists, from 42 overall outings.

As England pursue their first-ever Euro title, a first major title since the 1966 World Cup, Bellingham will be key. He has already proven his quality as he scored the crucial goal which handed his country a 1-0 victory over Serbia. However, he was less impressive in England's second game of Group C. The Lions were held to a one-all draw by Denmark.

Nevertheless, they are in pole position to qualify for the knockout rounds. Which means Bellingham can continue trying to enhance his chances with more dominant displays.

The best of the rest Kylian Mbappe once again had a strong individual season with his now former club, Paris Saint-Germain.

The Frenchman was vital as the Parisians secured a consecutive Ligue 1 title, with 27 goals in 29 league games. But their Champions League misery continued following a 2-0 aggregate loss to Dortmund in the semifinal of this season's competition.

Since that disappointing loss, Mbappe has officially joined European champions Real. First though, he is hoping that he and his French teammates can play to Euro glory.

France's first success at the Euros since 2000 would add some meat to Mbappe's bareboned chances of winning his maiden Ballon d'Or.

Another Madrid star, the retiring Toni Kroos, is also an outsider for the Golden Ball. His elegance and control in midfield was pivotal as Los Blancos clinched the double this season.

Similar displays on home soil will help his country become the most successful at the Euros. Germany is currently tied with Spain on three European titles apiece. Such performances may also see him at least finish in the top three. DM