 "Lamine Yamal and Jude Bellingham are among the favourites to win the 2024 Ballon d' Or. Reuters")
The list of nominees confirmed for the 2024 Ballon d’Or produced a couple of surprises after Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo were left out of the shortlist . This marks for the first time in 20 years that the iconic duo will not be part of the shortlist. The wnner will be announced on 28 October at an event slated to be held at Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.
The list is dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona starts, including Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. The list also features Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, but who are the top contenders for the award?
We take a look here:
Vinicius Junior (Brazil and Real Madrid)
Over the years, Vinicius Junior has gone in to become equally important for both Brazil and Real Madrid. The 24 year-old has suffered several instances of racial abuse, but yet, those do not seem to bother him as he continues to produce some brilliant display across club and country.
Vinicius scored the decisive second goal of the UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund last season. He then turned up for Brazil in the Copa America in the USA but despite scoring two goals, Brazil failed to go all the way after being knocked out by Uruguay in the quarter-finals.
Yet, Vinicius remains a standout performer for both club and country.
Lamine Yamal (Spain and Barcelona)
Spain’s Lamine Yamal had a breakthrough tournament after he impressed in his team’s title-winning Euro 2024 campaign. He scored one goal and provided four assists for La Roja as they beat England in the final. He is now also a permanent figure for Barcelona, making 50 appearances last season across all competitions.
His versatility and dedication to perform in his role is second to none, and although there are arguably better contenders than Yamal for Ballon d’Or, you cannot count the teenager out.
Erling Haaland (Norway and Manchester City)
With Messi and Ronaldo out of the way, Erling Haaland will set his sights on winning the Ballon d’Or this year. Messi edged out Haaland for the prestigious award last year following the former’s FIFA World Cup-winning campaign with Argentina.
What might put Haaland at a disadvantage is the fact that, he does not have much to prove in terms of playing for Norway, barring a hat-trick against Kosovo in a friendly in June.
Jude Bellingham (England and Real Madrid)
Jude Bellingham is a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or. The 20 year-old has has 23 goals and 13 assists to show off for Real Madrid last season, and played a pivotal role in England’s run to the Euro 2024 final.
Florian Wirtz (Germany and Bayer Leverkusen)
Sure, Florian Wirtz may not be a straightforward favourite. And sure, he still may be yet to shine for a big club. But to be part of an “invincible” Leverkusen side under manager Xabi Alonso, and scoring 18 goals and providing 19 assists last season is no mean feat.
He has played for Leverkusen in the No 10 position, a spot which he has graced with opens arms. Afterall, the 21 year-old certainly looks raring to go once again, with two goals and an assist in two Bundesliga matches.
The only thing that might go against Wirtz here is that he’s still a relatively less famous player when compared to the likes Bellingham and Vinicius.
Kylian Mbappe (France and Real Madrid)
No list s complete without Kylian Mbappe, more so ever since his blockbuster move to Real Madrid earlier this summer.
Despite not having had an impact that the defending Champions League champions would have expected, the France forward is up there among the big stars to contend for the Ballon d’Or.
The 2023-24 season was a productive one for Mbappe despite fading out from PSG setup briefly amid the transfer saga. Mbappe managed to score 44 goals in 48 matches for the Parisians last season, apart from registering 10 assists.