The Golden Ball race or the competition between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo still make world football worth watching in 2024.
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| Most experts believe that the 2024 Golden Ball will be awarded to a player who has never stood on the top podium. Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland or Jude Bellingham have become strong candidates for this noble award. |
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| However, don’t ignore Messi and Ronaldo. Just one World Cup 2022 championship is enough for the Argentine superstar to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or, amid rumors about the injustice that Haaland or many other Man City stars have suffered. |
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| The influence and popularity of Messi or Ronaldo is still there. If only one of these two superstars wins a major national tournament in 2024, while also showing incredible scoring performance at the club level, the Golden Ball race will be very different. |
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| In 2024, both Messi and Ronaldo will likely continue to play in Copa America and EURO. With their current form, both Argentina and Portugal are still candidates for the championship in the two tournaments. |
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| Messi seems to be far behind Ronaldo in terms of greatness, after winning the 2022 World Cup and winning the 8th Golden Ball of his career. However, the fact that CR7 ends 2023 as the player with the most goals (54 goals) makes people reconsider Al Nassr’s striker. |
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| Ronaldo affirmed that he will enter 2024 with the desire to conquer this milestone again. If the 38-year-old striker can do that, the great temple of world football will have to rewrite the history of Ronaldo. Meanwhile, Messi will have a promising 2024 season with Inter Miami. After close friend Luis Suarez agreed to come to Inter Miami, will Leo be able to write new history in MLS? |
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| 2024 is also the year when many important events in world sports take place such as the Paris Olympics or the new format from the UEFA Champions League. The European Football Union (UEFA) increased the number of teams participating in the Champions League group stage to 36, while also introducing a new competition format that was completely controversial. |
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| With the Super League project still unfinished, UEFA faces the problem of operating and managing the Champions League better, to satisfy member clubs. |
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| Will Saudi Arabian football continue to expand and increase in strength? The fact that the Saudi Pro League (Saudi Arabia’s national championship) allows each team to have up to 10 foreign players in the starting lineup shows the ambition to improve the quality of this country’s football makers. Which stars will continue to land in Saudi Arabia? |
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| In tennis, the Grand Slam race between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will depend heavily on the health status of the Spanish tennis player. Nadal is two Grand Slam titles behind Nole. If the Spanish tennis player can achieve good health, he is capable of winning the championship in 2024, thereby continuing to ignite the debate about the GOAT (greatest of all time) in tennis. |
Van de Beek’s future is settledEintracht Frankfurt and Manchester United have completed all procedures regarding the Donny van de Beek deal in the January 2024 transfer window. |
The goalkeeper came on from the bench and scored a goal from long rangeThe rare goal occurred in the match in round 18 of the Scottish First Division (Championship) this season between Raith Rovers and Arbroath. |
Antony embodies the failure of Ten HagManchester United’s £85 million contract ends 2023 with just 1 goal in the Premier League. |
Books to read about the Champions League
The Sports section introduces readers to books to understand more about the birth, competition and how the Champions League rose to become the most prestigious tournament in Europe.
