Today the 28th of October 2024, the world of Football will have another beautiful event of the Ballon d'or award. The 68th annual event which will be hosted live at the "Theatre du Chatelet, Paris", is set to announce the best performances of football stars who excellently had the highest ranking in terms of certain criteria.
List of Recent winners
Lionel Messi is the most beneficial of the Ballon d’Or award. He has won it eight times, and Cristiano Ronaldo is the second on the list of winners. The list of recent winners of the Ballon d'Or winners are:
Luis Figo (2000), Micheal Owen (2001), Ronaldo Nazário (2002), Pavel Nedvěd (2003), Andriy Shevchenko(2004), Ronaldo de Assis Moreira Ronaldinho (2005), Fabio Cannavaro (2006), Ricardo Izecson dos Santo Leite Kaká (2007), Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), Luka Modrić (2018), Karim Benzema (2022), and Lionel Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023).
Possessive Criteria for Eligibility
For an international footballer to be eligible for this award, he or she must have shown the world that his talent is world-class and highly sought after. The things that shoot up their chances are the number of goals scored, the impact of individual presence in both club and countryside, self-discipline on and off the field of play, assists per game, and so forth.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or List
Below are the names of players who made the cut to be included in the 2024 Ballon d’Or list:
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan)
Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Artem Dovbyk (Dnipro/Girona/Roma) Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen) Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund) Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Kylian Mbappe (PSG/Real Madrid) Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig/Barcelona) Cole Palmer(Chelsea)
Declan Rice (Arsenal) Hernandez Cascante Rodri (Manchester City)
Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid) Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
William Saliba (Arsenal) Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) Vitor Machado Ferreira Vitinha (PSG)
Nico Williams (Athletic Club) Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Some players out of the general list have been tipped as strong contenders for the 2024 edition of this global stellar award. They include Rodri Hernandez Cascante of Spain and Manchester City, Vinicious Jr of Brazil and Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham of England and Real Madrid, and Lamine Yamal of Spain and FC Barcelona. Let’s take a quick look into the performances from the previous 2023/2024 Season in both club and countryside.
Jude Bellingham: Last season (2023/2024), was a wonderful season for the English man. His move from Borussia Dortmund to Santiago Bernabeau was quite rewarding. He secured the Laliga title, UEFA Champions League, Laliga Player of the Month, and a career-high goal of 19 goals for the Galacticos across different competitions. He was also key for Gareth Southgate’s side during the EURO 2024 tournament.
Lamine Yamal: The young and vibrant star has been extraordinary when it comes to both club-side and countryside football. The 16-year-old broke a whole lot of records like being the Youngest Player to feature and score for the Spanish national team in the EURO 2024, winning the EURO 2024 competition, and many breathtaking performances in his club side FC Barcelona.
Vinicius Jr: The spectacular Brazillian and Real Madrid star had an impressive 2023/2024 season. He scored 6 goals in the UEFA Champions League and helped his club side win the trophy. He also helped the Galacticos win several trophies like the UEFA Super Cup, and the Spanish Laliga. Though his achievements with his country has been a tough one, Vinicius has been instrumental.
Rodri: Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante popularly called Rodri, has been key for both Manchester City and the Spanish national team. He played crucial roles and helped the citizens win the treble (Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League). His decisive goal against Inter Milan in the Champions League earned him the MOTM award. Rodri has also been doing well for the Spanish national team and his contribution earned the Spaniards the EURO 2024 trophy.