Despite its recent allegations, the Ballon d'Or remains the most coveted individual award for football players worldwide.
All players, young and old, want to win several team medals, but no career is complete without at least one Ballon d'Or.
Real Madrid has produced 12 players who have received the prestigious accolade during the course of its existence. The most notable and recent names are Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric.
Los Blancos were expected to win another Ballon d'Or with Vinicius Jr at the recent event, but it was subsequently discovered that Rodri of Manchester City won instead. However, a former Real Madrid player has recently declared that a current youth in the club will win.
Former Los Blancos player James Rodriguez recently spoke with Edu Aguirre on the show "Los Amigos de Edu" about his football career and time at Real Madrid.
While discussing his debut season at the Santiago Bernabeu, the player claimed that he was competing for the Ballon d'Or among greats such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Suarez, and others.
He said, "I scored more than 14 goals and 15 assists, I think. It was a spectacular year, similar to the year Bellingham had in his first season. I really like the way he plays. I think he could win a Ballon d'Or. Of course, to win the Ballon d'Or, I had Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Iniesta, Xavi, Suárez, Neymar... in 2014, I finished eighth, with these greats ahead of me. Yes, I would have liked to win the Ballon d'Or; I came close, but it's true that I was more focused on winning titles like the Champions League."
James Rodriguez's choice for the Ballon d'Or is unusual, but not wholly novel. Jude Bellingham is one of Real Madrid's most essential and reliable players, yet he has rarely been constant in the Ballon d'Or argument. His contribution to the team's overall success seldom results in requests for individual recognition.
However, the player's youthful age and more than a decade of playing time are encouraging. Given his consistency and frequent performance at the highest level, there is nothing that may prevent him from receiving the highly desired honor.