With 72 hours to go before the World Cup final, the Ballon d'Or's official social media account posted a reminder that players based outside Europe are eligible to win the award. That's not a general housekeeping notice. That's a nod to one man.
Lionel Messi. Thirty-nine years old. Eight Ballon d'Ors. And now, potentially, a ninth.
What the final actually decides
Argentina vs Spain isn't just a World Cup final — it's the Ballon d'Or selection committee doing its job in real time. Whoever wins the trophy on Sunday will almost certainly win football's most prestigious individual award to go with it, and the paths from here look very different depending on the result.
If Messi lifts the cup, the conversation is over before it begins. He's already won the MLS title with Inter Miami. A second World Cup at 39 — an age when most players are three years into punditry — would make the vote a formality. The award's own social media team clearly knows this, which is why they're reminding people the rules allow for it.
A Spain win scrambles everything. Lamine Yamal, the second favourite heading into the final, would have a compelling case built on a league title and a World Cup before most players his age have played a full club season. But Rodri — who won the award two years ago and commands enormous respect among international voters — would immediately re-enter the picture. Spain winning creates a debate. Argentina winning ends one.
Where that leaves everyone else
Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé — all of them are essentially waiting on Messi to lose. Their realistic route to the Ballon d'Or runs directly through an Argentina defeat in the final. That's a tough position to be in, and the odds on any of them winning the award will reflect exactly that once Sunday's result is confirmed.
Nine Ballon d'Ors. It didn't seem possible a decade ago. Right now, it's one match away.
