CORNERFLICK
Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi are the leading names in a Ballon d'Or race transformed by the World Cup. The tournament has again shown how quickly a few weeks of international football can alter the picture for the game’s biggest individual prize.
Messi has been the biggest mover. Before the tournament, the Argentina forward had just 0.97% chance of winning the award; that has risen to 10.34%, putting him fifth in the latest list of contenders.
Kane remains first with 22.27%, slightly up from 20.11%. Mbappé is now his closest challenger after a run of seven World Cup goals took him from 4.36% to 19.30%.
Jude Bellingham has also climbed back into the top 10, rising from 0.64% to 4.26%. Erling Haaland is up to 6.59%, while Michael Olise stands at 12.06%.
Some of the club season’s leading names have slipped. Declan Rice has dropped from 10.89% to 3.45%, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from 7.26% to 4.83%, and Ousmane Dembélé from 14.52% to 12.06%.
Paris Saint-Germain had five players in the top 10 before the tournament, but only those who have shone on the international stage have held their places.