There was a time when settling on the best male soccer player in the world was easy. Between 2008 and 2023, the answer was almost exclusively Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Luka Modrić and Karim Benzema disrupted the pair’s Ballon d’Or duopoly in 2018 and 2022, respectively, but the ballot during that period generally only had two names on it.

That is certainly not the case anymore. The Ballon d’Or field is wide open, although this week’s Champions League quarter-final ties could shift things. The opportunity is there for a frontrunner or two to emerge ahead of a 103-day stretch of big games with big stakes that will culminate with the World Cup final on 19 July. The award will be decided over this period.

Harry Kane could be a top contender. The 32-year-old has scored an incredible 54 goals in all competitions for club and country this season – the latest came on Tuesday in Bayern Munich’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid. Champions League success with Bayern and World Cup glory with England would surely make Kane the first English Ballon d’Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001.

Kylian Mbappé is another possible candidate. The forward is the...