Lionel Messi thinks these football stars could be next Ballon d'Or contenders

Lionel Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or award winner, recently expressed his expectations for future contenders of the most prestigious award in football.

The 36-year-old captain of David Beckham's Inter Miami surpassed Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe in his historic eighth Ballon d'Or triumph in October.

Despite beating them last year, Messi has regarded both the players as formidable candidates for future Ballon d'Or titles.

According to insights shared by L'Equipe, Messi expressed his views, stating, "The players to compete for the Ballon d'Or in the coming years?

"There may be a very beautiful rivalry in the coming years with players like Haaland, Mbappe, Vinicius and many young players competing for the Ballon d'Or."

He quickly added Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal to his list of potential candidates for football's highest award.

"I also think that Lamine Yamal, who is still very young and now plays for Barcelona, ​​will play a prominent role and fight for it in the future too," Messi said.

"Certainly there will be others competing for it, new players that we do not know will appear, because there are always new players, and I think it will be a very beautiful era to enjoy."