Claude Makelele has named one of the best performers at this summer’s World Cup as his pick to win the Ballon d’Or.

The French midfielder didn’t win the award during his career but watched Real Madrid teammates Ronaldo Nazario, Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo claim the prestigious award. This year, it’s proving to be one of the most closely fought races to take first place on the podium in October in London.

While players are judged on their club-level performances, it’s hard to dispute how important it is to shine at the World Cup. Lionel Messi‘s brilliance in Argentina’s 2022 triumph was largely why he won the award for an eighth time in 2023.

Makelele Names his Ballon d’Or Favourite

It’s not often that the top stars from each of the biggest nations come to the dance and prove their worth, but that has happened at this year’s World Cup. Particularly, up front where marksmen have wreaked havoc in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Harry Kane has starred for England, firing the Three Lions through each knockout stage and demonstrating his leadership. That’s also been the case for Messi, who continues to roll back the years with decisive performances each time he’s on the pitch.

Erling Haaland replicated his club form on the biggest stage with Norway, bullying defenders before his nation crashed out in the quarter-finals. While he might not be a number nine by trade, Kylian Mbappe has been at the peak of his powers for France.

Mbappe is the name Makelele believes should win the Ballon d’Or later this year. The iconic former French midfielder told Marca: “I’d love for Mbappe to win it. He hasn’t picked up many trophies with Real Madrid this season, but what he’s producing at this World Cup is exceptional.”

The 27-year-old broke several records during another unbelievable World Cup campaign, including becoming France’s all-time top goalscorer (64). He also displaced Justin Fontaine as the French player with the most goals in the tournament’s history.

Mbappe engaged in a battle with Messi throughout the tournament, vying for the Golden Boot. His extraordinary displays haven’t just convinced Makelele he should win the Ballon d’Or but also remind the Chelsea legend of Brazil’s 1994 and 2002 World Cup-winning striker Ronaldo Nazario:

“Kylian Mbappe’s relentless consistency season after season is drawing him closer and closer to Ronaldo Nazario. We didn’t call the Brazilian ‘O Fenomeno’ for nothing, and Mbappe is undoubtedly the phenomenon of his own generation. The frightening part is that he still has levels to reach. I am absolutely convinced: he is the closest thing we have seen to a modern-day R9.”

REUTERS/Mike Segar

The awards ceremony takes place on October 26th and will be the first time it has been hosted in London, England. Mbappe has never won the Ballon d’Or, coming closest in 2023 when he finished third.

Real Madrid Failure Could Dent Mbappe Hopes

When handing out the award, one of the biggest factors is often the number of trophies won, and Mbappe ended his club campaign without any silverware. The French forward played his part, finding the back of the net 42 times in 44 games.

Madrid lost out to Barcelona in the La Liga title race and crashed out of the Champions League to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. They were also beaten by their El Clasico rivals in the Supercopa de Espana final and suffered a shock loss to Spanish minnows Albacete in the Copa del Rey Round of 16.

Whether this will prevent Mbappe from winning the Ballon d’Or remains to be seen, but it is worth noting. The competition for the award is fierce, and for all his individual brilliance, there are others who not only thrived for club and country but also lifted major trophies.

Lionel Messi is about to play in his third World Cup final for Argentina, and he could be set to surpass the legacy of the legendary Diego Maradona in the process. He has the opportunity to do what Maradona couldn’t: win a second World Cup for La Albiceleste, the national team he has become synonymous with.

However, the magician’s international career could so easily have been so different. Not only could he have represented a different country, but he also could never have won a single major honour for his nation.

After losing the World Cup final in 2014 and the ensuing 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals, Messi announced his retirement from international football. However, after quickly realising that this decision was abrupt and unnecessary given how much of his career he had left in front of him, the playmaker opted to return to international action, and what a decision it was.

Messi’s Career with Argentina

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Returning to the fold for the 2018 World Cup, Messi wasn’t able to end his international suffering at the first attempt. Argentina crashed out of the tournament in the last 16, losing an enthralling clash against France 4-3 in Kazan.

A year later, he and his country suffered the same fate at the 2019 Copa America, losing to Brazil in the semi-finals. However, this pain didn’t continue for much longer.

In 2021, Messi delivered the first trophy to Argentina in his international career. He got his hands on the Copa America, playing a key role in the process, scoring four goals and providing five assists throughout the tournament.

A year later, the fairytale story was capped off with the ultimate prize: a World Cup. Messi lifted the iconic trophy in Qatar, carrying his nation through some turbulent early matches to ultimately enact revenge on France for 2018.

Had Messi opted to represent another country he was eligible for, he might have enjoyed success far sooner than he did, although it certainly wouldn’t have been as romantic. Spain won three international tournaments in a row between 2008 and 2012, claiming two Euros and a World Cup – a period that coincided with Messi’s early days at the highest level.

Messi moved from Argentina to Spain at the age of 13, and this alone presented him with the opportunity to declare for La Roja. The Spain manager during the European nation’s period of dominance, Vicente de Bosque, revealed that the Spanish FA tried to convince Messi to play for them before he declared for Argentina.

“The Federation made every effort to get Messi to play for Spain,” Del Bosque told a Spanish radio station.

“Lionel refused because he loves his country. His arrival would have been for the best. Messi is Messi – there is only one. It would have been a dream to coach him.”

Messi Only Had Eyes for Argentina

Image credit: REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

While Messi has always been coy about his Spanish links and Spanish citizenship, he did open up about the possibility of representing the country in a book about his Argentina career, titled Messi, The Patriot.

“I was asked informally if I wanted to play for Spain, but I always said that I wanted to play for my national team because I love Argentina and these are the only colours I want to wear,” he said.

“I was always an avid fan of the national team. I watched the games on television because I could never go to the grounds and watch them as a fan.”

Former Barcelona teammate and good friend Cesc Fabregas once chimed in on the discourse, claiming that the attacking midfielder made the right decision, even if he’d have loved to have played alongside him for Spain.

“It would have been phenomenal if Leo had played for Spain,” Fabregas said.

“We would have won more titles, but he always felt very Argentine, and I think it was the perfect decision to play for his country.”

Spain weren’t the only country Messi could have played for. He was also eligible to represent Italy through his great-grandfather, who emanated from the Southern European nation. This family link would have qualified Messi for an Italian passport.

The 39-year-old’s great-grandfather left Italy for Argentina in the late 1800s, so it was always unlikely that football’s greatest ever player would’ve turned out for the Azzurri, given how convoluted this connection is.

Unlike with Spain, there were never any talks between the Italian FA and Messi over the player representing Italy.

Arsenal have blown Premier League rivals Liverpool away as they push to complete a major statement summer signing for Mikel Arteta.

It has been a quiet first month of the transfer window for Arsenal, but now the Premier League champions appear to be working overtime to bring new players in ahead of the new season as they look to retain their league title, as well as attempting to go one step further in the Champions League by getting to the final and winning it.

Piero Hincapie has already completed a permanent move to the Emirates as expected, and he has been joined in north London by free-agent goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who will currently act as a back-up option to David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga between the sticks.

The Gunners are working on bigger-money signings now, with a deal worth around £34m now agreed with Club Brugge to sign winger Christos Tzolis.

GIVEMESPORT sources have also revealed that Arsenal are set to launch their first bid to sign Aston Villa and England star Morgan Rogers, who will be returning home following the third-place playoff match against France on Saturday night.

A separate report has claimed that the offer could be worth £105m, with the 23-year-old confirmed as the club’s top transfer target in attack.

Arsenal are looking at other attacking options too, though.

Arsenal Lead Premier League Race to Sign Julian Alvarez

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It has been an eventful summer for the Argentina international, who will represent his nation in the 2026 World Cup final against Spain on Sunday night in New Jersey.

The world-class 26-year-old has also made it clear he wants to explore opportunities away from Atletico Madrid this summer, having attracted bids from both Barcelona and Real Madrid for his services, with the latter seeing a £130m bid rejected last month.

Atletico continue to claim that their star attacker is going nowhere, but Football Insider claim that Arsenal are ahead of Liverpool in the race to land their ‘dream’ signing, with Barcelona expected to make a fresh bid for his services following the conclusion of the World Cup.

Alvarez has been quite quiet in the World Cup, but he scored 20 goals and assisted 10 more in 52 appearances in all competitions for Atleti last term, catapulting him to the top of many top European clubs’ transfer wishlist.

Arsenal Deal Another Transfer Blow to Liverpool

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Liverpool have been dealt another transfer blow with a report suggesting that their top target to replace Mohamed Salah actually prefers a move to London instead.

Because of that, the France international would prefer to join Arsenal instead of Liverpool if Paris Saint-Germain sanction his sale, although the north Londoners are currently focusing on Rogers as their top left-sided attacking target.

Should a move for the Englishman fail, then it could be a straight head-to-head battle between Arsenal and Liverpool for Barcola, who could become one of the most in-demand forwards in Europe if PSG give the green light for a summer exit with contract talks currently stalling.