{"id":298272,"date":"2023-11-05T08:24:09","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T08:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=298272"},"modified":"2023-11-05T08:24:09","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T08:24:09","slug":"lionel-messi-picked-two-wonderkids-over-jude-bellingham-in-award-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/lionel-messi-picked-two-wonderkids-over-jude-bellingham-in-award-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi picked two wonderkids over Jude Bellingham in award vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lionel Messi wins record eighth Ballon d’Or after World Cup glory with Argentina<\/h3>\n

Lionel Messi did not give Jude Bellingham a first-place vote when making his picks for the Kopa Trophy. But the Real Madrid player still won the award given to the world’s best under-21 player by a wide margin ahead of Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Barcelona’s Pedri.<\/p>\n

Bellingham, 20, got 90 out of a potential 96 points from the ballot of 32 former Ballon d’Or winners. First-place votes gave the recipient three points, with second-place receiving two and third-place carrying one point.<\/p>\n

Musiala finished as the distant runner-up, 48 points behind Bellingham. The Germany international previously finished third in each of the last two years and is now the only player to make the podium three times in the award’s five-year history.<\/p>\n

Pedri, who won the 2021 award, finished third two years later with 33 points. Messi’s ballot had all three players on it but in the inverse order.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The World Cup winner had Musiala atop his list, with former Barcelona teammate Pedri taking second place ahead of Bellingham. Inter Miami’s captain is one of 12 players to have their ballots released by All Football.<\/p>\n

Bellingham does not yet get to vote on the Ballon d’Or winner; that honor is for the coaches and captains of the top 100 national teams, according to the FIFA World Rankings. However, he shared where his vote would have gone during the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a World Cup year, and Lionel Messi had a fantastic World Cup; he deserves to win the Ballon d’Or,\u201d Bellingham said. In a speech after accepting the award, the player thanked those who supported his journey before acknowledging that: “there is more to come.\u201d<\/p>\n