The next 10 Ballon d’Or winners predicted by AI

Every year, football’s elite gather in Paris to determine the winner of the Ballon d’Or.

Well, perhaps not if your name is Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian famously snubbed the awards evening in 2024 when he found out he’d been outvoted for the major accolade by Manchester City’s midfield sensation Rodri.

It was a landmark year for the Spaniard, who won the Premier League with City and also won the European Championships after defeating England in the final. Having suffered a terrible ACL injury towards the end of the year, Rodri was not in the conversation to win the award again in 2025.

Instead, it was PSG’s Ousmane Dembele who reigned supreme, having starred as the Parisiens finally won the Champions League in 2024/25.

What made Dembele’s triumph all the more remarkable was the fact that he’d never actually been dominated for the award before. He fended off some stiff competition, including Lamine Yamal, but what does the future have in store for the Spaniard? Well, with the help of Grok, the next ten winners of the Ballon d’Or have been predicted.

1

2026: A first crown for France’s best

Kylian Mbappe

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi no longer the players they once were, it was always predicted that Kylian Mbappe would rise to the top.

A victory in 2026 would be a long time coming for Madrid’s latest Galactico but it would be an award well deserved. While France’s World Cup campaign ended in heartbreak at the hands of Spain, the speedster did nothing to harm his chances of winning the award, scoring ten times enroute to becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in the competition.

2

2027: The wonderkid triumphs for the first time

Lamine Yamal

One of the favourites for 2026, Yamal finally gets the recognition on a global stage that he deserves in two years time. He’s already won the Kopa Trophy, LaLiga and the World Cup, so it feels only a matter of time before he’s officially crowned the best player in the world.

With numbers like he’s achieved in 2025/26, scoring 24 and assisting 18 for Barcelona, anything is possible. He is a generational talent, the rightful heir to Lionel Messi’s throne.

3

2028: A victory for the Premier League

Erling Haaland

Like Mbappe, Haaland has been tripped as a future Ballon d’Or winner for a while now but AI thinks we’ll have to wait another three years before seeing Manchester City’s goal machine given the gong.

Given the length of his contract, he’s set to stay in the Premier League for a long time and is likely to continue banging in the goals on a domestic and continental level. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he is the definitive best number 9 of all time once he hangs up his boots.

4

2029: Messi 2.0 does it again

Lamine Yamal

We told you he was generational. Two years on from his first success, Yamal is set to be handed his second Ballon d’Or, truly following in the footsteps of the great Messi.

At this point in his career, he’ll still only be 22 years of age. His potential is utterly frightening.

5

2030: Another win for Real Madrid

Vinicius Jr

Six years on from what he felt was a cruel loss at the hands of Rodri, Brazil’s heir to Neymar and Real Madrid’s heir to CR7, Vini Jr, will finally get his hands on football’s most prestigious individual award.

Although aged 30, AI thinks he’ll still be going strong for Real Madrid, and with it being a World Cup year, maybe, just maybe, Brazil have got their hands on the trophy again.

6

2031: Another Barca great does it

Pedri

Every player on this list so far has been a forward but Barcelona star Pedri is set to topple the Yamal dominance by winning the award himself, following in the footsteps of the amazing Luka Modric and Rodri, the last midfielders to win the award.

The Spaniard is yet to hit his prime but he had a captivating season for Barca as they won LaLiga and was a crucial part of Spain’s World Cup winning squad. If he does indeed win the Ballon d’Or in 2031, his longevity certainly will have been Modric-esque.

7

2032: Liverpool’s new star takes it home

Florian Wirtz

After a disappointing first year at Liverpool, who knows where Florian Wirtz will be playing in seven years time but AI seems to reckon that after securing a transfer to a Champions League giant and putting in strong showings for Germany, he’ll be the best player in the world.

Well, if it’s with the Reds, it would be their first Ballon d’Or winner since a certain Michael Owen back in 2001.

8

2033: More success for Germany

Jamal Musiala

Back-to-back success for Germany as Jamal Musiala picks up his first crown in 2033. This could be the start of a newfound dominance for Die Mannschaft, who with Musiala and Wirtz in tow, may well have won the 2032 European Championships.

AI is backing the attacking midfielder to trump everyone else due to Bayern Munich’s dominance, international accolades and consistent form.

9

2034: A third major honour awaits

Lamine Yamal

Rounding things off is a third triumph for one of the best players the next generation will possibly ever see.

In 2034, he’ll be 27 and at the peak of his career with AI predicting him to cement his legacy as a generational talent. If he isn’t already, he’s now a truly household name, one of the best players we’ve ever seen in the game and right up there with his idol.

Only two players, Messi and Ronaldo, have won it more than three times, while Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten are the only other players to have all taken it home on three occasions.

Endrick

While Yamal will no doubt be in the conversation again after winning it for a third time, his reign is brought to a halt by another of LaLiga’s top wonderkids at the moment, Endrick.

AI predicts that the Brazilian striker will become a powerhouse over the next decade, potentially winning the World Cup 2034 Golden Ball before cementing himself as the best striker in the world in ten years’ time. Grok reckons that the forward’s physicality and finishing ability will give him the edge over Yamal at this point.