The time has already arrived at the end of the year, and this is often the moment when the Ballon d'Or final shortlist is announced.
Although this is not the final result, and the awards ceremony is still more than a month away, the list released at this time usually does not have too many discrepancies!
With the World Cup just concluded, the award organizers have been very thoughtful and released this list at a timely moment.
This year's Ballon d'Or has been captivating the hearts of all fans, and everyone has been waiting for a long time.
Compared to previous years, this edition is more like a true battle of titans, with over a dozen potential winners alone!
Mbappé, who has consecutively won two World Cups, the outstanding Messi and Henry, Zidane, and even the ageless Modrić, Benzema, and the shining kings returning to the spotlight like Kaká, Ronaldo, Luís Figo, and countless others!
Not to mention this year's biggest favorite, Cao Baming!
In the eyes of the fans, this year is considered to have the most suspense!
The thirty-person list, including rankings, is laid out for all to see!
Mbappé, with his excellent performance throughout the year and two consecutive World Cup titles, has an almost invincible achievement at this age.
Even Pelé did not achieve such high honors at this age.
However, in addition to this, he scored 79 goals and provided 21 assists in the year, and even contributed two assists and one goal in the World Cup final. His form has been consistently stable and outstanding!
Enough to go head-to-head with the returning superstars.
With such achievements, Mbappé sits in the second position on the list, for now.
Third and fourth place are Zidane and Messi, both of whom have performed beyond doubt.
Henry also successfully enters the top ten of the list, a glory for Arsenal.
The person in first place is somewhat unexpected. It is not any of the French players who won the World Cup, but Cao Baming from Tang Country!
Even without winning the World Cup, his brilliance cannot be overshadowed!
If asked who performed the best and most brilliantly in the World Cup, without a doubt, and speaking objectively, it would be Cao Baming!
No matter how strong Mbappé is, his total goals were only 12, while Cao Baming had 26!
There is no need to compare other statistics, because Cao Baming is a defender, for crying out loud.
Back home, Cao Baming opened his phone and the first thing he saw were emails from his friends, not the trending news.
Messages of congratulations, well wishes, and adoration for the great god, just seeing these opening lines made everything clear.
Clearly, there was some news out again.
Oh, it turns out to be the Ballon d'Or shortlist. His name appearing on it was not new, but to be in the first position was something he himself had not expected!
Upon closer inspection, Cao Baming, Mbappé, Zidane, Messi, and Haaland, the top five, have comparable support rates, with himself holding a slight advantage in first place.
This is not like some previous instances of overwhelming dominance with one superstar and several strong contenders. The current ranking situation will inevitably change after the upcoming league matches and crucial Champions League fixtures!
At that time, everything might not be as it is now.
Logically speaking, if one wins the World Cup and plays a decisive role in the tournament, like Mbappé and Zidane, the Ballon d'Or is usually secured.
But it seems far from what they thought. Being in the first position now, returning to the league and Champions League with even better teammates will surely widen the gap in rankings.
Cao Baming nodded with satisfaction and then directly closed the news.
In his opinion, this year's Ballon d'Or is already firmly in his grasp, unless something unexpected happens.
One unexpected situation would be his teammate, Messi. If he listens to the advice of those around him in the final moments and successfully returns to his peak, it might indeed be difficult to say!
Even he himself, facing Messi at his peak, might only have a fifty-fifty chance. More importantly, he is not an opponent; he is his teammate from the same club!
As is well known, the Ballon d'Or is most fearful of having competitors on the same team, because that way, honors and statistics will mutually restrain each other.
The rewards given by the system are also very generous. While perhaps not as great as winning the World Cup, apart from the Hercules Cup, the Ballon d'Or is the highest reward!
This ball must be brought back!
Seeing that the planned return to the team was approaching, most of the matters in Tang Country had been largely handled.
The work that needed to be done had entered its operational phase, and it was time to return to the club and play football properly.
In fact, for the past few days, not only the club's top management but also his teammates have been messaging him almost daily, hoping for his early return.
After all, the league has already started, and the next match is tomorrow.
Although the opponent, Swansea, is considered an easy match, with both Henry and Cao Baming absent, if they were to stumble, Messi alone might not be able to bear the responsibility.
As of now, while the winning streak has ended, they have at least maintained a record of sixteen consecutive undefeated matches. If this were to be broken carelessly, it would be too painful.
It's like holding one's breath right now; this breath must not be broken no matter what.
Fans are also very excited about the official ranking list released by the authorities.
The sense of suspense has been maximized, and even the top ten are in contention for this year's Ballon d'Or. They will undoubtedly give their all to compete for this highest individual honor.
Especially now, when they all have a great chance!
For the fans in Tang Country, not winning the World Cup does not seem to have caused too much sorrow, because they understand that although Mbappé was chosen as the MVP by the World Cup organizers, Cao Baming was the one who truly performed the best.
This is evident to everyone who watched the matches and is well aware of it.
Since all World Cup matches are public, even if one cannot buy tickets to watch in person, the entire match can be watched live through television broadcasts and online channels.
Given this, Cao Baming's performance was not only seen by the people of Tang Country but by the whole world, and even if they don't admit it, it would be self-deception.
And his top position on the Ballon d'Or rankings proves everything and has indeed shut up many people.