Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior are among the early frontrunners to take out the 2024 Ballon d’Or, an accolade considered to be one of football’s highest individually, following the naming of a 30-man shortlist. The best player in men’s football over the past season will be handed on October 28 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
The top two choices would be Jude Bellingham and Vinicius, both of them enjoying a sensational season with Real Madrid; both were in the midst of the Real Madrid winning seasons in La Liga and Champions League. Now one of the best midfielders in the world, Bellingham scored 23 times last season, with the electric Vinicius netting 24 goals. But that’s despite a great season enjoyed by both players with their club. Bellingham’s England finished as runners-up at UEFA Euro 2024, while Vinicius’ Brazil underperformed in the Copa America.
That makes this year’s Ballon d’Or race all the more significant as it presents a possibility of a new name entering into the elite club of winners. This prestigious award has had only four winners in the last 17 years: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, and Karim Benzema. Actually, the very same Ronaldo and Messi had shadowed this award for nearly two decades. None of the two, however, finds a place in the shortlist for 2024, summing up the significant drift in the footballing landscape. That was also a surprise as Messi triumphed once again with Argentina at another Copa America, where Ronaldo did not finally manage to get one of the nominations last year. For the first time in 21 years, neither man competed for the Ballon d’Or.
Besides Bellingham and Vinicius, there are also several other players that will be wanting to have a say in the final standings.
Another heavyweight was Erling Haaland, who scored a record number of goals this season for Manchester City. His fellow teammates, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, and Rodri, were also in the list for their pivotal roles in both the domestic and European triumphs of City. Amongst these risers are Lamine Yamal from Barcelona and Nico Williams from Athletic Club, some of the rising stars looking to shine further.
It speaks of a spread of talent throughout Europe’s top leagues and looks forward to the talent from all parts of the continent. Arsenal had four in Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Declan Rice all through who had fantastic seasons in the Premier League. Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Alejandro Grimaldo, Inter Milans’ Hakan Calhanoglu, and Lautaro Martinez got the nod as the Bundesliga and Serie A got decent representation on the list. What a time, indeed, for Nigerian football fans as one of their own, Ademola Lookman, who sparkled so brightly in Serie A with Atalanta, has gone on to make the prestigious list. This is a great feat, of course, bringing pride to Nigerian football. It was such a captivating 2024 Ballon d’Or this year, knowing that by the end, everyone would realize who the last season’s best male player had been. Without Ronaldo and Messi this time, it was all set for a new generation of stars to take the center stage in Paris on October 28th.
Full list of Ballon d’or 2024 nominees
- Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England
- Ruben Dias – Man City/Portugal
- Phil Foden – Man City/England
- Federico Valverde – Real Madrid/Uruguay
- Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa/Argentina
- Erling Haaland – Man 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 – Man 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
