The 30 players vying for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, which honors the best male footballer in the world from the past season, have been announced.
Real Madrid stars Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior lead the race as top contenders. Both players were instrumental in Real Madrid’s La Liga and Champions League triumphs, with Bellingham netting 23 goals and Vinicius 24. While they shined domestically, their international campaigns fell short: Bellingham’s England lost in the Euro 2024 final, and Vinicius’s Brazil had a disappointing Copa America.
Other notable nominees include Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Athletic Club’s Nico Williams, and Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal, all aiming to make a strong showing in the final rankings.
Surprisingly, Lionel Messi, who recently won another Copa America with Argentina, was not among the nominees, marking a significant moment in Ballon d’Or history as neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo were shortlisted for the first time in 21 years. This absence signals the end of an era dominated by the two football legends.
2024 Ballon d’Or Nominees:
- Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England
- Ruben Dias – Manchester City/Portugal
- Phil Foden – Manchester City/England
- Federico Valverde – Real Madrid/Uruguay
- Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa/Argentina
- Erling Haaland – Manchester City/Norway
- Nico Williams – Athletic Club/Spain
- Granit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen/Switzerland
- Artem Dovbyk – Girona/Roma/Ukraine
- Toni Kroos – Real Madrid/Germany
- Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid/Brazil
- Dani Olmo – RB Leipzig/Barcelona/Spain
- Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen/Germany
- Martin Odegaard – Arsenal/Norway
- Mats Hummels – Borussia Dortmund/Roma/Germany
- Rodri – Manchester City/Spain
- Harry Kane – Bayern Munich/England
- Declan Rice – Arsenal/England
- Vitinha – PSG/Portugal
- Cole Palmer – Chelsea/England
- Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid/Spain
- Lamine Yamal – Barcelona/Spain
- Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England
- Hakan Calhanoglu – Inter/Turkey
- William Saliba – Arsenal/France
- Kylian Mbappe – PSG/Real Madrid/France
- Lautaro Martinez – Inter/Argentina
- Ademola Lookman – Atalanta/Nigeria
- Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid/Germany
- Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen/Spain
The Ballon d’Or will be presented to the best male player on 28 October at the annual ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
