Rio Ngumoha and Trent Alexander-Arnold both hold the same ambition in their careers, but the current Liverpool star has been told how he could beat the former Red to it

Rio Ngumoha has been told how he could one day win the Ballon d’Or - and, in the process, beat Trent Alexander-Arnold to his biggest ambition.

Ngumoha has certainly made a name for himself since arriving at Liverpool in 2024, with the 18-year-old now a bona fide member of the Reds’ senior side, where he doesn’t look out of place among his more experienced teammates.

The teenager has been earning more plaudits after his superb performance against Villarreal in the Champions League this week, having earned the player of the match award after setting up two of Liverpool’s goals in the 4-3 victory at Anfield.

Having already forced himself into the reckoning with England, Ngumoha looks to be on the right path to secure his ultimate ambition in soccer - winning the Ballon d’Or.

He won’t be in the running for this year’s award, with the winner set to be announced next week, but he has his eyes trained on lifting the biggest individual award in the sport at some point.

"I truly believe I can win the Ballon d'Or one day. I want to be regarded as one of the best players to ever play football and be a legend of the game,” he said back in 2024.

It’s an ambition he shares with Liverpool’s former vice-captain, with Alexander-Arnold outlining his own aim that same year, and even revealing he's rather win the individual award than a Champions League or World Cup.

"I believe I can win the Ballon d'Or," Alexander-Arnold said. “I want to be the first full-back to ever do it. It’s only the morning after you retire that you’re able to look in the mirror and say: ‘I gave it everything I got’.”

Given Alexander-Arnold is now struggling to even get in the team at Real Madrid, it feels as though that particular ambition will end up passing him by. For Ngumoha though, there is plenty of time.

And he has now received some advice from former Liverpool and France striker Djibril Cisse on how he could go on to one day be crowned the world’s best player.

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Asked about the teenager’s hopes of becoming a future Ballon d’Or contender, Cisse told Mr Gamble: "Rio Ngumoha is pretty good. We shouldn’t get carried away because they’re still very young and have a lot to achieve, but at their age, already playing in the Premier League for big clubs like Liverpool is exceptional.

"After that, it’s up to them to be serious, seize the opportunities they’re given and last as long as possible. But it’s clearly impressive to see players so young performing at that level, not looking out of place, and even being very, very good."

Liverpool.com says: As Cisse says, it is very, very early to be talking about Ngumoha in Ballon d’Or terms. As starts to a career can go though, he’s certainly put himself on the right path to eventually be considered among the world’s best.

Before he gets to that stage though, he needs to nail down that spot in Liverpool’s team. If he does that when the likes of Bradley Barcola are around, who knows just how far he could go in his career.