Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023, but according to Football Manager 2024, that’s the last time the Argentine wizard will ever finish on the podium.
We’ve simulated ten years into the future to see what the football landscape will look like over the coming decade and which players will get their hands on the ultimate glory.
Without waiting any longer, let’s dive into the results.
It was always just a matter of time before Kylian Mbappe got his hands on the Ballon d’Or, and in this FM24 sim, he picks up the prize in the first season.
Mbappe racked up a huge 32 goals and ten assists in 49 games, which was good enough to win Ligue 1 but not enough to help PSG past Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-final.
He sneaks in ahead of Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski (40 goals in 50 games, by the way), and Real Madrid hotshot Jude Bellingham (30 assists!).
It’s back-to-back for Mbappe, who scored five fewer goals but chipped in with an extra five assists.
Bukayo Saka, who played a crazy 61 games this year, actually finished with a higher average rating but his return of 28 goals and 11 assists clearly failed to satisfy the judges.
Man City’s Bernardo Silva rounds out the top three with a solid return of 16 goals and 14 assists.
Silva moves one step closer to the prize this year but there is still no toppling Mbappe, whose average rating ends up at a crazy 7.96 over 54 appearances.
The Man City man bumped up his goals and assist numbers and climbs up to the silver medal spot ahead of Bellingham, who is back in the running after an impressive year with Madrid.
As for Mbappe, he’s currently playing in an attacking line which includes Christian Pulisic, a £43.5m signing from AC Milan, and £8m-rated Raphinha from Barcelona.
Tying Messi’s record a fourth consecutive win, Mbappe keeps his average rating up at 7.95 thanks to the most creative season of his career – 25 assists and just 22 goals.
Some big transfer news for second place. Rodrygo joined Man City for a mental £173m in the summer of 2024, and he’s on the Ballon d’Or podium three years later.
Saka once again secures his place among the medals with 24 goals and 17 assists in 62 games for Arsenal.
It’s happened. We have a new winner. Ending Mbappe’s reign of terror is Bellingham, who fired in 19 goals and 21 assists across 53 games for Madrid.
He managed fewer goal contributions than Mbappe, whose average rating of 7.90 was also higher, but Bellingham still did enough to get over the line.
We have a new face in third as Barcelona sensational Lamine Yamal lives up to his potential with a whopping 30 goals in 48 games for Xavi’s side.
All hail Man City.
Haaland wins his first Ballon d’Or at the age of 28 after plundering 39 goals in 57 games for the Cityzens, who also get the nod in second as Rodrygo gets another medal.
For the first time so far, there’s no Mbappe in the top three as Saka, whose average rating was higher than the City duo, rounds it out.
With a fire in his belly, 31-year-old Mbappe propels himself back to the top of the mountain with 25 goals and 18 assists to win his fifth Ballon d’Or, putting him tied with Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of all-time winners.
Haaland drops down to second, with his return of 37 goals and 11 assists yielding a surprisingly low average rating of 7.23.
Yamal, who is playing as a striker now, gets himself back in third.
Now clear of Ronaldo on the all-time standings, Mbappe’s sixth Ballon d’Or comes in 2031. The 32-year-old is still scoring for fun, racking up 30 in 48 games.
Yamal managed to beat that tally, netting 36 goals in 52 games to earn himself a personal-best finish of second.
Perennial bronze medalist Saka is back in third. He’s won the World Player of the Year award twice, if that’s any consolation?
Right, lots to unpack here – not least the absence of Mbappe.
Winning his first Ballon d’Or is Yamal, who is disgustingly still only 24 years old in 2032. The Spaniard bagged 32 goals and nine assists in 55 games.
Making his first appearance of this sim, Endrick comes in second. He joined Manchester United from Real Madrid in 2029 for £124m and enjoyed the best goalscoring season of his career here.
Vinicius Junior also makes his first outing in third, having watched former teammate Rodrygo reach the podium twice before he made it once.
Somehow now in his prime at the age of 32, Vinicius wins the first Ballon d’Or of his career after bagging 32 goals in 54 games in an attack which also includes former Arsenal winger Marquinhos, who joined for £59m in 2031.
Xavi Simons appears to have taken Mbappe’s place on the throne at PSG, coming in second ahead of the Frenchman himself.
Endrick wins the Ballon d’Or in 2034, by the way. We forgot to stop the sim.
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