Do you agree with our predictions? Let us know in the comments section below.
Men’s breakout star: Endrick (Real Madrid and Brazil)
All eyes will be on Endrick when he officially joins Real Madrid in July 2024 for an initial fee of €35m (£26m); this figure can rise to 70 million euros by the age of 18. The Brazilian striker is hardly an unknown quantity; The player is underage in his home country and recently led Palmeiras to the league title, but has yet to play in Europe. He is expected to follow in the footsteps of Vinicius Jnr and Rodrygo, two Brazilians who joined Madrid before the age of 18 and are now world stars.
An honorable mention must go to Manchester City winger Joel Ndala, who had a disappointing season for England at the Under-17 World Cup and was wanted by many top clubs. It is not yet known what City’s plans are for the 17-year-old player.
Men’s player of the year: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England)
The title of world’s best player looks like a straight shootout between Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and England’s Jude Bellingham. This could depend on whether Manchester City can retain the Premier League and Champions League, or how France and England perform in next summer’s European Championship.
Currently, Bellingham is the standout candidate given his outstanding achievements at Real Madrid and the midfielder is sure to go from strength to strength for both club and country in 2024. The 20-year-old has already won major honors as the world’s best young player and his current trajectory has him on track to eventually win the Ballon D’Or.
Women’s breakout star: Khadija Shaw (Manchester City and Jamaica)
Jamaican star Shaw took time to recover when he arrived at Manchester City in the summer of 2021 but has become a goal-scoring sensation for City this season. She scored a 37-minute hat-trick against Tottenham last month and became the WSL’s top scorer with nine goals in as many games.
Female player of the year: Lauren James (Chelsea and England)
After her outstanding performance at last summer’s World Cup, where she ran a memorable riot in the Lionesses’ 6-1 defeat against China in the group stages, we expect James to reach even greater heights in 2024. A strong and instinctive attacker on the ball, the technically gifted 22-year-old had to bide her time when she joined Chelsea two seasons ago but has blossomed into a lethal striker under manager Emma Hayes.
What you’re most looking forward to…
Championship race in the Premier League. Every season we hope to have a wider field of two clubs vying for the top spot and this campaign finally looks to deliver that. Given that champions Manchester City have already lost three games, the top spot at the halfway point looks incredibly clear. While Liverpool and Arsenal are in contention, Aston Villa are proving to be this year’s disruptors and Tottenham Hotspur have their act together.
It looks like the Premier League’s claim that ‘any team can beat any team’ is finally being proven right with a little more consistency, making the competition even more exciting. May it last for a long time and may the abundance of goals we have seen this season end.
Euro winner: England
Given that this is a knockout competition, open to the vagaries it brings, it’s almost impossible to predict… but here’s let’s be optimistic: England. Gareth Southgate’s side have every chance of succeeding in Germany. They will probably have to beat France in the semi-finals and Les Bleus look like the other strong team in the tournament. It would be foolish to rule out hosts Germany as Portugal look very dangerous under Roberto Martinez. But England are a formidable team with world-class players like Harry Kane and Bellingham. If both are fit and firing, England will be extremely difficult to beat.
Premier League champion: Manchester City
Things may come to a head this time, and we hope they do, but it’s still difficult to look beyond Manchester City when it comes to winning the Premier League. Despite their ‘crisis’ before heading into the Club World Cup, where they won one of their five league games, they remain just five points off the top. There are problems. City are now heavily reliant on Haaland and his foot injury will be a concern as it looks like it could recur.
They also don’t have quite the creativity of last season and Pep Guardiola has at times filled his squad with defenders. Having said all this, we are clearly saying that they are still the best team in the Premier League and are capable of outperforming the opposition. However, they do not seem as dominant as they used to be and there are some vulnerabilities.