In world football, an era that had been fading in recent years has finally come to an end. For the first time since 2003, neither Leo Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo is on the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or! Last year, Ronaldo missed out on the final nomination, while Messi won the award for a record eighth time, concluding a race that lasted two decades. However, last night, after 18 consecutive years, Messi has also been excluded from the shortlist of the world’s best footballers. The Ballon d’Or has been awarded since 1956 by the prestigious French magazine France Football, but this year the award ceremony is organized by UEFA. France Football retains the rights to the award’s name and the simplified voting system: one football journalist from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries votes. The award is no longer based on the calendar year, but on the previous football season.They’re all here! But… who should win it? #ballondor pic.twitter.com/SrkHBrJtuI— Ballon d’Or (@ballondor) September 4, 2024 Last night, the names of 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or were announced, and the best footballer of the 2023/24 season will be revealed at a gala ceremony on October 28 in Paris. Among the finalists are: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen), Artem Dovbyk (Girona/Roma), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), Dani Olmo (Leipzig/Barcelona), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen), Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Rodri (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Vitinha (PSG), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter), William Saliba (Arsenal), Kylian Mbappé (PSG/Real Madrid), Lautaro Martínez (Inter), Ademola Lookman (Atalanta), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), and Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen).Ademola Lookman 🇳🇬 has been nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. He is the only African nominee in this edition.He is the first Player to score a hat-trick in a UEFA Europa League Final. He was named as the Man of the Match.He was included in the AFCON Team of the Tournament… pic.twitter.com/exhxEgPv0o— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) September 4, 2024 For the first time in a long time, there are no clear favorites for winning this prestigious award. Some of the top contenders include Rodri, Bellingham, Haaland, and Vinícius. Perhaps the biggest surprises among the finalists are the Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk, Ademola Lookman from Atalanta, Granit Xhaka, and Aleks Grimaldo from Leverkusen. However, all of these players had notable achievements at their respective clubs, earning them a place in this elite group. Dani Carvajal is the only player on the list who has won both major trophies: the European Championship and the Champions League.He is one of six Real Madrid players among the finalists, excluding Kylian Mbappé, who spent the previous season at Paris Saint-Germain. Following Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal have the most players (four each), with Bayer Leverkusen next with three. In terms of nationalities, Spain and England have the most players—six each. They are followed by Germany (four), Argentina, France, and Norway (two each). Brazil has only one footballer among the top 30. The list of 30 candidates for the Women’s Ballon d’Or has also been released, with Barcelona players dominating (six of them).Bundesliga transfers: Bayern under the question mark, Borussia splashes the cash, Leipzig perfect againThe finalists for Coach of the Year are: Luis de la Fuente (Spain), Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid), Xabi Alonso (Leverkusen), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), and Lionel Scaloni (Argentina). For the “Kopa” award, which is given to the best young player, the candidates are: Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Mathys Tel (Bayern), Arda Güler (Real Madrid), Savinho (Girona/Manchester City), Karim Konaté (Red Bull Salzburg), João Neves (Porto/PSG), and Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG). The “Lev Yashin” award for the best goalkeeper has the following nominees: Diogo Costa (Porto), Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid), Mike Maignan (Milan), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia), Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao), Yann Sommer (Inter), and Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi).##NAJAVA_MECA_8316321##
