James Rodriguez has backed Colombian teammate Luis Diaz to win the 2027 Ballon d’Or award following his impressive displays for Bayern Munich last season.
Diaz enjoyed a stunning debut campaign in the Bundesliga scoring 26 goals and providing 23 assists across all competitions for the German champions.
The 29-year-old joined the Bavarians earlier in the campaign from Liverpool where he won the Premier League last season and was very influential as Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title as well as a first German Cup triumph since 2020.
Diaz formed a devastating attacking trio with England’s Harry Kane and France’s Michael Olise, breaking the Bundesliga record with over 100 goal contributions amongst them.
James Rodriguez, whose most memorable moment came at the 2014 World Cup in Germany where he won the Golden boot award as well as the FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal at the tournament has backed Diaz to become the first Colombian player to win the prestigious award.
According to the former Real Madrid midfielder, a great run at the World Cup would help his chances of winning the award.
“Luis Diaz as Ballon d’Or, why not? For me he’s top five in the world right now already. If we get to the final, he can win the Ballon d’Or”, Rodriguez said.
Radamel Falcao came closest to a win in 2012 when he finished in fifth place, while Rodriguez also earned an eighth-placed in 2014.
Colombia will hope for another historic run at the World Cup this time around, when they face Portugal, Uzbekistan and DR Congo in the group stages.
The South American side will begin their campaign against Uzbekistan next Thursday and will be looking to secure progress to the next round of the tournament.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
