Ballon d'Or 2024 Power Rankings: Harry Kane and Declan Rice on the rise as Jude Bellingham leads England-heavy top 10

 

After a season headlined by him finally getting his hands on the World Cup, Lionel Messi took home his eighth Ballon d'Or after picking up the 2023 prize in Paris on Monday, October 30. The footballing world moves on quickly though, and already predictions are being made as to the identity of the 2024 winner.

It promises to be an intense race. Along with the usual ups and downs of the European domestic season, this is a campaign that will see the majority of the globe's best players take part in international tournaments, including the European Championship, Copa America and Africa Cup of Nations.

So after a year that was defined by the battle between tournament success and season-long superiority, how much of a bearing on the 2024 Ballon d'Or race will those competitions have? Meanwhile, could we see the first win from someone who plays their club football outside of Europe, as more and more of the game's biggest names head to up-and-coming leagues in other parts of the world?

Rasmus Hojlund is becoming a £72m weight around Man Utd's neck: Striker's Premier League drought surpasses Wout Weghorst's woes - but why can't he score?

 Manchester United knew that they were buying into potential rather than proven quality when they signed Rasmus Hojlund in the summer, but even so, they would have expected their £72-million ($90m) striker to have scored at least a few Premier League goals four months after his arrival.

Yet after 14 appearances, the Danish hitman is still waiting to score his first Premier League goal in the famous red shirt. And after drawing another blank in a pathetic display against West Ham, he now has an even worse record for United in the English top-flight than Wout Weghorst, who became a figure of ridicule during his lacklustre loan spell with the club last season.

Hojlund has had a paradoxical start to life with United since his big-money move from Atalanta. He had been on fire in the Champions League, notching five goals in his opening four games to make him top scorer alongside Erling Haaland and Alvaro Morata.

Six players Real Madrid should consider signing in the 2024 January transfer window

 

Ahead of the upcoming January transfer window, Real Madrid have a clear-cut shopping list. At the time of writing, Los Blancos are without six first-team players due to injury. Three of those — David Alaba, Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois — are highly unlikely to play again this season. A further two might be out for at least another month. Los Blancos can't get through the rest of this campaign with their current squad — and probably won't survive when the short absentees return, either.

As such, a new centre-back is a must, and there are options out there. Madrid could recall at least one loanee, while some higher-end options could be available — especially if Carlo Ancelotti's side are after a long-term solution at the position.

And, of course, there remains the relentless Kylian Mbappe sag. Could this be transfer window when the superstar forward finally joins?

The 15 best Premier League signings of the 2023-24 season so far - ranked

 

The 2023 summer transfer window was another record-breaking moment for Premier League clubs. All in all, the 20 top-flight sides spent over £2 billion ($2.5bn) on new players, smashing the previous all-time highest tally from the previous year.

Chelsea were the biggest contributors to this record splurge, but they weren't the only club who had an extremely active few weeks. Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham all spent over £200m ($253m) each, while even 'lesser sides' like Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest paid out more than £100m ($126m).

However, boasting the most-expensive transfers does not guarantee success and on reflection, the class of 2023 is unlikely to be viewed as a vintage year for new recruits. Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Andre Onana are just three examples of high-profile new arrivals that have endured mixed starts at their respective new clubs.

Man Utd & Real Madrid monitoring Atalanta starlet Giorgio Scalvini

Atalanta's prized assets, Giorgio Scalvini and Teun Koopmeiners are attracting attention from top clubs, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, according to Alfredo Pedulla.

Scalvini, who garnered interest from Atletico last summer, continues to be in demand with the Red Devils and Madrid keeping an eye on him. Meanwhile, Koopmeiners is consistently linked to Juventus, with previous attempts from Napoli in August.

Despite the interest, Atalanta have firmly decided not to entertain transfer discussions for these key players during the winter transfer session unless an overwhelming bid is submitted for the duo. 

Ranked: Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas and the greatest goalkeepers of all time

 So, Superman has finally hung up his cape. On Wednesday afternoon, Gianluigi Buffon announced his retirement, bringing an end to an incredible, 23-year career. The tributes have been flooding in, with some esteemed judges labelling the Italy icon as the greatest goalkeeper of all time.

But is Buffon really the best shot-stopper we've even seen? Does he really rank above his legendary compatriot Dino Zoff? Or Iker Casillas, who won it all at international and club level? And what about Lev Yashin, the man who set the standard that all goalkeepers have since strived to meet?

Below, GOAL counts down the finest goalkeepers in football history...

Jobe Bellingham: Can the Sunderland starlet become even better than Real Madrid sensation Jude?

 Soon after completing his surprise £1.5 million ($1.9m) switch to Sunderland this summer, Jobe Bellingham informed the club that he wanted his first name printed on the back of his new No.7 shirt. It was a decision motivated by a desire to forge his own legacy in the game - and when you've got a family like Bellingham has, it's little surprise that he was keen to create his own distinct identity.

Of course, his brother is Jude Bellingham, who has swiftly emerged as a frontrunner for the 2024 Ballon d'Or following a string of inspirational performances for Real Madrid. As Jobe was negotiating his move to the Stadium of Light, his sibling was making the necessary arrangements to move to the Spanish capital, having completed a blockbuster £108m ($133m) transfer earlier that summer.

Living in the shadow of this gargantuan talent must be stifling. But Bellingham has not allowed his potential to be smothered. While Jude has been taking the world by storm, his baby brother has been generating quite the buzz back home.

Liverpool or Arsenal - who has the Premier League's best attack?

 Anfield endured a dreadful game of football last Sunday. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp even felt compelled to criticise some of his own fans for failing to make some noise. The atmosphere shouldn't be an issue this weekend, though, with Anfield set to play host to what is likely to be a thrilling encounter with top spot in the Premier League on the line.

Encouraginly, Liverpool have already rediscovered the goalscoring touch that deserted them against a painfully defensive Manchester United last weekend, with the resurgent Reds routing West Ham 5-1 on Wednesday night to progress to the last four of the Carabao Cup. As it stands, only two teams across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues have scored more goals in all competitions this season than Klopp's men (63).

As for Arsenal, the key to their ascent to the top of the Premier League has probably been summer signing Declan Rice, who has added steel, class and composure to their midfield. However, it's worth noting that the Gunners have only scored one goal fewer (35) than Liverpool in this season's top flight, meaning Saturday's showdown on Merseyside could well descend into a shootout between two flawed but fearsome forward lines.

Man City, Man Utd & Chelsea plot bids for €60m Barcelona target Estevao Willian

 

Barcelona could miss out on signing 'Little Lionel Messi' Estevao Willian as top European clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain line up to sign the Brazilian wonderkid, according to Mundo Desportivo.

The teenager, who recently made his senior debut for Palmeiras in the club's final game of the season, is likely to move out of the Brazilian league when he turns 18 in 2025.

Rasmus Hojlund is becoming a £72m weight around Man Utd's neck: Striker's Premier League drought surpasses Wout Weghorst's woes - but why can't he score?

 

Manchester United knew that they were buying into potential rather than proven quality when they signed Rasmus Hojlund in the summer, but even so, they would have expected their £72-million ($90m) striker to have scored at least a few Premier League goals four months after his arrival.

Yet after 14 appearances, the Danish hitman is still waiting to score his first Premier League goal in the famous red shirt. And after drawing another blank in a pathetic display against West Ham, he now has an even worse record for United in the English top-flight than Wout Weghorst, who became a figure of ridicule during his lacklustre loan spell with the club last season.

Hojlund has had a paradoxical start to life with United since his big-money move from Atalanta. He had been on fire in the Champions League, notching five goals in his opening four games to make him top scorer alongside Erling Haaland and Alvaro Morata.