Lionel Messi 'frontrunner' to eventually land the elusive prize Cristiano Ronaldo has already won after significant change to the rare award

By: Shawn
Lionel Messi might be about to add an elusive trophy to his collection, joining Cristiano Ronaldo in a select group of champions.

Lionel Messi 'frontrunner' to eventually land the elusive prize Cristiano Ronaldo has already won after significant change to the rare award.
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Messi and Ronaldo are widely recognized as the two best players of the twenty-first century, and their trophy hauls and statistics are frequently compared as fans argue which legendary player is better.

October will be a historic month, with neither player nominated for the annual Ballon d'Or award, the first time this has happened in 21 years, after they shared the title 13 times.

Ronaldo now has one prize in his cabinet that Messi has never won, but this may be about to change.

The Golden Foot award was established in 2003 to recognize gaming icons who continue to compete at the top level in their later years. Only players above the age of 28 are eligible for the award, which Messi has never won.

Cristiano Ronaldo with his Golden Foot award in 2020.
Getty Images

Ronaldo won the award in 2020, followed by Mohamed Salah of Liverpool in 2021 and Robert Lewandowski in 2022.

After a one-year hiatus, the honor is back, and Messi is considered the frontrunner to finally win the prize that has escaped him.

For the first time, no public vote will be held; instead, a panel of professionals will decide who will win this year. No players who have already won the honor are eligible.

In addition to obtaining the Golden Foot award, the victor will be able to leave a permanent cast of their footprints on Monaco's coastline, known as The Champions Promenade.

Messi has previously been ignored by players like as Luka Modric and Edinson Cavani, and he will have opposition from Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk for this year's prize.

The 2024 Golden Foot candidates are Marco Verratti (Al-Arabi), Lionel Messi (Miami FC), Neymar Jr. (Al-Hilal), Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), and Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City).

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