Chelsea Star has named surprise pick for ‘the best player in the world’ ahead of Ballon d’Or awards

Cole Palmer has chosen Kylian Mbappe as the best player in the world ahead of the Ballon d’Or awards. The ceremony will take place on October 28, and Palmer is one of the 25 nominees for the men’s award. He is the only Chelsea men’s player nominated, while his teammates Lauren James, Mayra Ramirez, and Sjoeke Nusken are nominated for the women’s award.

Palmer is competing against strong candidates like Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid, as well as Rodri from Manchester City. Vinicius Junior is the favorite to win the award this year, especially since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not nominated for the first time since 2005.

Palmer won the PFA Young Player of the Year award in September, scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists in the previous season. This season, he has already contributed to nine goals in eight matches. When asked about the best player in the world, Palmer initially considered both Vinicius Junior and Mbappe before settling on Mbappe.

Mbappe has also been nominated for the Ballon d’Or and has scored six goals in nine La Liga appearances since moving to Real Madrid from PSG. He is seen as a strong contender, though not the leading candidate.

The full list of nominees for the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or includes:

– Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

– Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan)

– Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid)

– Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

– Artem Dovbyk (Roma)

– Phil Foden (Manchester City)

– Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)

– Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

– Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)

– Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

– Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)

– Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)

– Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

– Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

– Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

– Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

– Dani Olmo (Barcelona)

– Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

– Declan Rice (Arsenal)

– Rodri (Manchester City)

– Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)

– Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

– William Saliba (Arsenal)

– Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)

– Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

– Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)

– Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)

– Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)

– Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)

– Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)

With the awards approaching, other players are also expressing their views. Harry Kane named Messi as the best player despite his absence from nominations, citing Messi’s strong performances in the Copa America and MLS. Kane scored 44 goals last season and aims to win a major trophy with Bayern this year.

Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes also praised Vinicius Junior as the best player, especially after Vinicius’s impressive hat-trick against Borussia Dortmund. Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid’s coach, noted Vinicius’s energy and contributions to the team.

Toni Kroos, who recently retired, mentioned that he believes Vinicius, Jude Bellingham, and Carvajal deserve the award more than he does. Kroos has won multiple titles with Real Madrid and has expressed satisfaction with his career.

Neymar, currently playing in Saudi Arabia, named Vinicius as his top choice for the Ballon d’Or. He believes Vinicius deserves the recognition after overcoming challenges and criticisms. Neymar also mentioned Rodrygo and Bellingham as strong contenders.

The Ballon d’Or awards promise to be exciting this year, marking a shift as new stars emerge in football, stepping into the spotlight previously dominated by Messi and Ronaldo.