Jude Bellingham discovers his 2024 Ballon d'Or hopes have significantly changed

Jude Bellingham could be on track to become one of the youngest ever Ballon d'Or winners following England's successful passage to the Euro 2024 final. The 21-year-old has been in stellar form this season, both at club level in Spain with Real Madrid and now as a potential history maker with the Three Lions.

England will face Spain in the European Championship final after a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands. Bellingham, who already boasts Champions League and La Liga titles this season, could add a third major trophy to his collection if England triumph on Sunday (July 14), reports the Mirror.

Before the Euros, the young star was tipped as a favourite for the Ballon d'Or, alongside Madrid colleagues Vinicius Jr and Dani Carvajal, soon-to-be teammate Kylian Mbappe, and Manchester City's Rodri. However, following Brazil's Copa America exit and England's progression to the Euros final, Bellingham is edging closer to becoming the favourite for the prestigious award, with odds suggesting a close race between him and Vinicius Jr.

Toni Kroos, who is set to retire from football, was also in contention, but his chances have dwindled after Germany, the host nation, were knocked out of Euro 2024 by Spain in the quarter-finals. Similarly, Mbappe's hopes have been dashed following a disappointing tournament and a broken nose that contributed to France's semi-final defeat to Spain.

Should Bellingham clinch the title of 'best player in the world', he would become the second-youngest ever recipient of the award, trailing behind Ronaldo who was 21 years and 96 days old when he first lifted the Ballon d'Or. Bellingham, who celebrated his 21st birthday on June 29th, could make history at the upcoming ceremony scheduled for October 28, with nominees announced earlier on September 4.

This year's Ballon d'Or will be determined by seasonal performance, a method used only twice before, assessing players based on their form from August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024, rather than the calendar year.

An Englishman hasn't won the prestigious accolade since Michael Owen in 2001, but Bellingham's chances have been bolstered thanks to Ollie Watkins' decisive goal against the Netherlands, propelling England to consecutive European Championship finals under Gareth Southgate. A triumph this Sunday would undoubtedly strengthen Bellingham's bid for the prize.

Watkins, England's hero against the Dutch, reflected on his goal post-match, saying: "I never thought I'd be playing in the Euros for England. Obviously you can dream, but ...I'm a realist. I just take it day by day, one step at a time. I put in a lot of hard work to get to this point, it's not just this season. It's cumulative and I've worked hard to get to this point and I'm going to enjoy every moment.

"When you score, the emotions that come through your body," he expressed following the 2-1 victory. "But this is just a different feeling. It was slow motion when I was running over to the boys and celebrating, and ... I don't want to get off the pitch at the end because I just wanted to soak it all in because it doesn't happen often, obviously."