As the greatest in the football industry come together at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris for a celebration of greatness, the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony is sure to enthral the world once again.
Both up-and-coming players and seasoned pros seeking to follow in the footsteps of greats like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who together won 13 of the previous 15 trophies, will be featured on this esteemed evening.
The ceremony will mark the 68th edition of the prestigious awards, which are held annually in the French capital.
The presentation will expand the acknowledgement for significant efforts in all areas of the sport by adding two new awards this year: Men’s Coach of the Year and Women’s Coach of the Year, in addition to the well-known Ballon d’Or and Ballon d’Or Féminin.
About the Ballon d’Or awards
The Ballon d’Or awards honour the year’s best players, coaches and clubs in recognition of their outstanding achievements.
The Ballon d’Or, one of the most prestigious awards in football, was established by France Football in 1956 with the first winner as England’s Stanley Matthews who was playing with Blackpool FC. Originally conceived as a European prize awarded only to European players, it honoured the continent’s best based on votes from prominent journalists.
The English winger Stanley Matthews was its first recipient. Over the years, the award’s eligibility criteria broadened; in 1995, it allowed any player active in Europe, leading to the landmark win of George Weah from Liberia. In 2007, it further expanded globally, allowing players from any club worldwide to be recognized.
Between 2010 and 2015, the Ballon d’Or merged with FIFA’s World Player of the Year, creating the FIFA Ballon d’Or. However, this partnership ended in 2016, and the award returned to France Football, which now solely organizes it again. Since 2022, the Ballon d’Or has been awarded based on seasonal rather than calendar-year performances. The ceremony is co-hosted by UEFA, and voting is restricted to journalists from the top 100 nations on FIFA’s rankings.
Who’s in the running?
Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
William Saliba (Arsenal)
Lautaro Martinez (Internazionale Milano)
Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)
Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
Rodri (Man City)
Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Hakan Calhanoglu (Internazionale Milano)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Dani Olmo (Barcelona)
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Mats Hummels (Roma)
Erling Haaland (Man City)
Nicholas Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)
Phil Foden (Man City)
Artem Dovbyk (Roma)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Toni Kroos (former Real Madrid)
Ruben Dias (Man City)
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
When does it take place?
The event will take place at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday 28 October.
The evening gets underway at 19:45 GMT and will be broadcast live on L’Equipe’s YouTube channel and website.
Who decides the winner?
The shortlists are revealed almost two months before the event. Voting is then carried out by 100 journalists, with one selected from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men’s rankings.
The Ballon d’Or is awarded based on three main criteria which include; Individual performances, decisive and impressive character, Team performances and achievements, andClass and fair play
The Ballon d’Or is awarded by an international jury of specialised journalists, with one representative per country, from the top 100 in the latest FIFA rankings (before the lists are published) for men and the top 50 for women.
Each juror selects ten players in descending order of merit from a list of 30 established by the editorial staff of France Football, members of the editorial staff of L’Équipe, the best juror from the previous edition – Costa Rica for the men’s Ballon d’Or, South Africa for the women’s Ballon d’Or – and UEFA ambassadors Luís Figo for the men’s trophy and Nadine Kessler for the women’s trophy.
The ten selected players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. The Ballon d’Or is awarded to the player with the highest number of points. In case of a tie, the players are separated by the number of first-place votes. If the tie remains, they are separated by the number of second-place votes, then by the number of third-place votes and so on.
The favourite to win it
This is the first time in more than 20 years that eight-time winner Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five Ballon d’Or trophies to his name, has not been nominated.
With players like Rodri of Man City, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid regarded as front-runners, this year’s men’s Ballon d’Or race leans toward selecting a new face. Bellingham has delighted supporters with his first season at Real Madrid, marked by clutch efforts and game-changing goals, while Vinicius stands out following a spectacular season in which he scored 21 goals and supplied nine assists in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Given his defensive midfield position, Rodri’s nomination could come as a surprise, but his crucial contribution to Manchester City’s victories, including their Champions League title, has established a compelling case for him.
All the awards
Men’s Ballon d’Or
Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid)
Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Türkiye, Inter)
Dani Carvajal (Spain, Real Madrid)
Rúben Dias (Portugal, Manchester City)
Artem Dovbyk (Ukraine, Dnipro / Girona / Roma)
Phil Foden (England, Manchester City)
Alejandro Grimaldo (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen)
Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)
Mats Hummels (Germany, Borussia Dortmund)
Harry Kane (England, Bayern München)
Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid)
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria, Atalanta)
Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa)
Lautaro Martínez (Argentina, Inter)
Kylian Mbappé (France, Paris Saint-Germain / Real Madrid)
Martin Ødegaard (Norway, Arsenal)
Dani Olmo (Spain, Leipzig / Barcelona)
Cole Palmer (England, Manchester City / Chelsea)
Declan Rice (England, Arsenal)
Rodri (Spain, Manchester City)
Antonio Rüdiger (Germany, Real Madrid)
Bukayo Saka (England, Arsenal)
William Saliba (France, Arsenal)
Federico Valverde (Uruguay, Real Madrid)
Vinícius Júnior (Brazil, Real Madrid)
Vitinha (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain)
Nico Williams (Spain, Athletic Club)
Florian Wirtz (Germany, Bayer Leverkusen)
Granit Xhaka (Switzerland, Bayer Leverkusen)
Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)
Women’s Ballon d’Or
Barbra Banda (Zambia, Shanghai RCB / Orlando Pride)
Aitana Bonmatí (Spain, Barcelona)
Lucy Bronze (England, Barcelona / Chelsea)
Mariona Caldentey (Spain, Barcelona / Arsenal)
Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi, Paris Saint-Germain / Lyon)
Grace Geyoro (France, Paris Saint-Germain)
Manuela Giugliano (Italy, Roma)
Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway, Barcelona)
Patricia Guijarro (Spain, Barcelona)
Giulia Gwinn (Germany, Bayern München)
Yui Hasegawa (Japan, Manchester City)
Ada Hegerberg (Norway, Lyon)
Lauren Hemp (England, Manchester City)
Lindsey Horan (USA, Lyon)
Lauren James (England, Chelsea)
Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France, Paris Saint-Germain)
Alyssa Naeher (USA, Chicago Red Stars)
Sjoeke Nüsken (Germany, Chelsea)
Ewa Pajor (Poland, Wolfsburg / Barcelona)
Salma Paralluelo (Spain, Barcelona)
Gabi Portilho (Brazil, Corinthians)
Alexia Putellas (Spain, Barcelona)
Mayra Ramírez (Colombia, Levante / Chelsea)
Trinity Rodman (USA, Washington Spirit)
Lea Schüller (Germany, Bayern München)
Khadija Shaw (Jamaica, Manchester City)
Sophia Smith (USA, Portland Thorns)
Mallory Swanson (USA, Chicago Red Stars)
Tarciane (Brazil, Corinthians / Houston Dash)
Glódís Viggósdóttir (Iceland, Bayern München)
Yashin Trophy (for the best goalkeeper)
Diogo Costa (Portugal, Porto)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, Paris Saint-Germain)
Gregor Kobel (Switzerland, Borussia Dortmund)
Andriy Lunin (Ukraine, Real Madrid)
Mike Maignan (France, Milan)
Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia, Valencia)
Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa)
Unai Simón (Spain, Athletic Club)
Yann Sommer (Switzerland, Inter)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns)
Kopa Trophy (for the best player under the age of 21 as of 31 July 2024)
Pau Cubarsí (Spain, Barcelona)
Alejandro Garnacho (Argentina, Manchester United)
Arda Güler (Türkiye, Real Madrid)
Karim Konaté (Ivory Coast, Salzburg)
Kobbie Mainoo (England, Manchester United)
João Neves (Portugal, Benfica / Paris Saint-Germain)
Savinho (Brazil, Girona / Manchester City)
Mathys Tel (France, Bayern München)
Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)
Warren Zaïre-Emery (France, Paris Saint-Germain)
Men’s Coach of the Year Trophy (best coach of a men’s club or national team)
Xabi Alonso (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen)
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy, Real Madrid)
Luis de la Fuente (Spain, Spain)
Gian Piero Gasperini (Italy, Atalanta)
Pep Guardiola (Spain, Manchester City)
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina, Argentina)
Women’s Coach of the Year Trophy (best coach of a women’s club or national team)
Sonia Bompastor (France, Lyon / Chelsea)
Arthur Elias (Brazil, Corinthians / Brazil)
Jonatan Giráldez (Spain, Barcelona / Washington Spirit)
Emma Hayes (England, Chelsea / USA)
Filipa Patão (Portugal, Benfica)
Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands, England)
Men’s Club of the Year Trophy
Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Girona (Spain)
Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Manchester City (England)
Real Madrid (Spain)
Women’s Club of the Year Trophy
Barcelona (Spain)
Chelsea (England)
Lyon (France)
NJ/NY Gotham (USA)
Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Other awards
Gerd Müller Trophy (top scorer in previous season)
Sócrates Award (humanitarian work)
Here is a list of the winners of the award since 2000:
2000: Luís Figo (Portugal, Real Madrid)
2001: Michael Owen (England, Liverpool)
2002: Ronaldo (Brazil, Real Madrid)
2003: Pavel Nedvěd (Czechia, Juventus)
2004: Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine, AC Milan)
2005: Ronaldinho (Brazil, Barcelona)
2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy, Real Madrid)
2007: Kaká (Brazil, AC Milan)
2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Manchester United)
2009: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
2010: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
2011: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
2012: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid)
2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid)
2015: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid)
2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid)
2018: Luka Modrić (Croatia, Real Madrid)
2019: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
2020: Award not given
2021: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Paris Saint-Germain)
2022: Karim Benzema (France, Real Madrid)
2023: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Inter Miami)
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