There is a lot of talk about the 2024 Ballon d’Or award, and how Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior can emerge as the winner.
However, despite the Brazilian playing very well, there are some competitions that stand out and are one of the main focuses for winning the award, such as the Euros, the Copa América, and the Africa Cup of Nations.
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Here is the list of the 20 favorites to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or:
1 – Vinicius Júnior (Real Madrid)
2 – Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
3 – Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain)
4 – Phil Foden (Manchester City)
5 – Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
6 – Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
7 – Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
8 – Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
9 – Rodri (Manchester City)
10 – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
11 – Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
12 – Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
13 – Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
14 – Declan Rice (Arsenal)
15 – Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
16 – Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
17 – Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
18- Antoine Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid)
19 – Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
20 – Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
When will the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony be?
There is no confirmed date for the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony yet. Normally, the nominees are announced between September and October, with the ceremony taking place in January.
In other words, the expectation is that in January 2025 the best player in the world will be known. Vini Jr, the Brazilian star of Real Madrid, is considered one of the favorites for the competition.
Other awards in dispute
In addition to the selection of the best player in the world, the FIFA The Best awards the best female player in the world, the best male and female coaches, the best goalkeeper, the Puskás Award (most beautiful goal of the year), and the fair play award.
When will the nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or be announced?
Vini Jr is having a great season, his first as the number 7 at Real Madrid. If he wins the Champions League and is the team’s main player in the final, the Brazilian arrives strongly to be able to compete for the award of Best Player in the World.
In the last edition of the FIFA The Best, the Brazilian did not finish among the top 12 players, which caused an uproar on the internet.
But this season, with the level of performance he is having, Vini Jr can reach the finalists and become the first Brazilian, since Kaká in 2007, to win the award for Best Player in the World.
There is no set date for FIFA to announce the players nominated for the award. However, normally, from October onwards, the list starts to be released.
Vini Jr’s numbers this season
In the entire season, Vini has 31 goal involvements in 41 games played. The cold numbers are enough to place the Brazilian as one of the favorites for the end-of-season awards – regardless of the result in the Champions League final.
Vini Jr (Real Madrid and Brazil)
- 41 games
- 21 goals
- 10 assists
- Champions League finalist (3 goals and 2 assists in 6 Champions League knockout games)
- La Liga champion
- Spanish Super Cup champion
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the episodes available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
