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#3 Kylian Mbappe
Much like Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe has the world at his feet and has already won a handful of personal and individual accolades in his young career so far. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker has won four Ligue 1 titles and also played a starring role in France's FIFA World Cup triumph in 2018, as he picked up the Silver Ball for his outstanding displays.
Mbappe has his heart set on a move to Real Madrid and it remains likely that he will get his wish in the coming years. Los Blancos view him as a player who could ply his trade for the club for many years to come and are looking to snap him up at some point in the next 12 months.
If he carries on performing like this, Mbappe is sure to get his hands on the Ballon d'Or in the coming years.
#2 Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk came ever so close to winning the Ballon d'Or in 2019, as he lost out to Lionel Messi by a few votes in what proved to be one of the closest finishes in the award's history. The Dutchman is one of the most talented defenders of his generation and was named UEFA Player of the Year in 2019, while he also picked up the PFA Player of the Year award earlier that year.
He is currently 29 years old, but defenders usually tend to play well into their 30s, with Sergio Ramos and Giorgio Chiellini classic examples of the same. Van Dijk has been imperious since his world-record move to Liverpool and could well become the first defender since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 to get his hands on the award.
The towering Dutchman has been praised by legends of the game like Franz Beckenbauer and Franco Baresi for putting defenders on the map again. If he recovers well from his ACL injury and hits and ground running for Liverpool, it would be unwise to bet against him competing for the Ballon d'Or again.
#1 Neymar
Hailed as one of the most talented footballers of his generation, Neymar was the chosen one to take over the reins after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. While his career has stagnated a little bit due to injuries, he is still one of the best players in the world when fully fit and has won several personal as well as individual honors for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil.
Neymar is just 29 now and has time on his side to win the Ballon d'Or in the coming years. The mercurial Brazilian could finally get his hands on the prize if he manages to spearhead Paris Saint-Germain to their first-ever UEFA Champions League crown, while winning another major trophy with Brazil would also enhance his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or.
