Soccer-Mbappe, Bellingham, Haaland, Vinicius - Who is ready to claim soccer's throne?

Soccer Football - France - Ligue 1 - Le Havre v Paris St Germain - Stade Oceane, Le Havre, France - December 3, 2023 Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe reacts REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

MADRID (Reuters) - When Lionel Messi got up on stage at Paris's Theatre du Chatelet to receive his record eighth Ballon d'Or for best player in the world in October, there was a feeling of an era coming to an end.

The 36-year-old achieved the milestone by narrowly surpassing much younger competitors like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in what was widely assumed to be his final opportunity to claim the award.