The Ballon d'Or is almost upon us. Football is a team sport, but once a year the great and the good get to throw on their glad rags and make it all about themselves for an evening.
Since 1956, when England’s very own Stanley Matthews picked up the inaugural award – while turning out for Blackpool, obviously – the football world has gathered annually to celebrate the best player for that year. The trophy has been caught in a stranglehold between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for 15 years, with only Real Madrid duo Luka Modric and Karim Benzema able to get in there and split it up.
But with no former winner nominated this time, we could be set for an interesting edition – though there could be another high-profile robbery, as there have been over the years. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Ballon d’Or…
Favourites, odds and power ranking
What are the odds for the Ballon d'Or?
After a stellar season with Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr is favourite to lift the golden gong. The Brazilian netted in the final of the Champions League, as Los Blancos capped off a stunning Treble.
Club-mate Jude Bellingham has also been touted for the prize, while Rodri – who won a fourth Premier League title in a row before he lifted the Euros – is also in the running. This is the first time, meanwhile, that neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi have featured on the award's glistening nominee shortlist since 2003.
You can find the full list of favourites and odds for the Ballon d'Or here.
Nominations
Who has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or 2024?
Exploits in the Africa Cup of Nations, Euro 2024, Copa America, and all the traditional domestic and continental competitions, will be the basis of the decision this year.
It’s therefore little surprise that Champions League, La Liga and UEFA Super Cup winners Real Madrid are the best-represented side on the night.
But they’re followed relatively closely by perennial winners Manchester City and professional runners-up Arsenal. Surprise German package Bayern Leverkusen got a considerable contingent attending.
Here are the 30 Ballon d’Or nominees in full, in alphabetical order:
Date and location
When is the Ballon d’Or happening?
The main event is due to take place on Monday October 28.
Current bookies favourite Vinícius Junior has the small matter of El Clasico to deal with the day before, so eyebrow-raising boss Carlo Ancelotti will hope the whole thing isn’t getting to his head.
Although half of Vini's Los Blancos stablemates will be with him for the journey anyway, which should help keep the winger’s feet on the ground.
Where is the Ballon d’Or being held?
Like seemingly every big event at the moment, those involved will be heading to Paris, France.
Although, in fairness, this is where the ceremony is typically held, given that the award was first dreamt up and is still operated partly by French magazine France Football. As in previous years, since 2019, the nominees will be heading to Theatre du Chatelet, just off the Seine in the capital.
There they will be met by their hosts for the evening, French journalist and presenter Sandy Heribert and former Chelsea talisman Didier Drogba, who has been nominated for the gong himself a whopping eight times.
Judging
How is the Ballon d’Or decided?
The award is decided and voted by a jury of football journalists — good luck to anyone who ends up in that deliberation room — from the top 100 countries in the FIFA Men’s ranking.
Each journalist creates a shortlist of five names and orders them from first pick to last, with their top choice earning the most points and their fifth pick the least. The points from all the journalists are then added together to decide the winner.
The period in question is August 2023 to July 2024, with the press basing their decisions on personal performance, achievements with their respective teams and fair play.
With Messi and Ronaldo out of the picture, there could be some tough calls to crown the new winner.
Other awards on the night
What other awards are being awarded at the Ballon d'Or?
Several awards will be given out on the night of the Ballon d'Or. These recognise individual achievements in the world of football aside from the main gong, and are as follows:
The Kopa Trophy
The Kopa Trophy is awarded to the best young player under 21 in the world at the moment. The prize is named after legendary French star Raymond Kopa – and the current holder of the award is Jude Bellingham.
The Gerd Muller Trophy
The Gerd Muller Trophy is given to the best striker in the world right now. The award was named after the late German striker Muller, who died in 2021 – and the current holder is Erling Haaland.
The Yashin Trophy
The Yashin Trophy is given to the best goalkeeper in the world right now. The prize is named after Lev Yashin – the only goalkeeper to have ever won the Ballon d'Or – and Emiliano Martinez is the current holder
The Socrates Award
The Socrates Award is a prize given for one footballer's contribution to society, often pivoting around charity or campaigning. The gong is named after Brazilian legend Socrates and was last year given to countryman, Vinicius Jr.
Men's Club of the Year
The Men's Club of the Year Award is given to the club side who have impressed most all year. Every winner of the prize has been English, too – France Football first gave out the inaugural award to Chelsea in 2021, before Manchester City won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.
Women's Club of the Year
Women's Club of the Year followed the men's gong in 2023. The inaugural winners were Barcelona.
Coach of the Year
From 2024, France Football are to award the Coach of the Year, honouring a manager who has achieved big things in the last year. UEFA says that the gong will “recognise the invaluable contribution of coaches to the success on the pitch”.
This is a gendered award – with Men's Coach of the Year and Women's Coach of the Year separate categories at the Ballon d'Or.
Former winners
Who's won the Ballon d'Or before?
The Ballon d'Or has a long list of illustrious recipients. Lionel Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d'Or award wins, with eight – while 45 players have won the gong in total.
Here's all 10 players to have won the award twice or more:
Ballon d'Or Feminin
When is the Women's Ballon d'Or?
The Ballon d'Or Feminin takes place the same night at the same awards show. Now in its sixth edition – discounting 2020's fallow year for COVID, Aitana Bonmati is favourite to retain her award.
The nominees are as follows:
More Ballon d'Or stories
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