The 2024 Ballon d'Or nominees

The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees list features a mix of football’s brightest stars and emerging talents. Here’s a brief overview of each nominee:

Jude Bellingham (England) – Real Madrid’s midfield sensation who has had a stellar season with both Borussia Dortmund and his new club, impressing with his playmaking and scoring abilities.
Phil Foden (England) – Manchester City’s versatile attacking midfielder, known for his creativity and technical ability, contributing to City’s treble-winning season.
Federico Valverde (🇺🇾 Uruguay) – Real Madrid’s dynamic midfielder, praised for his energy, tactical intelligence, and important goals.
Emiliano Martinez (🇦🇷 Argentina) – The Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper, known for his penalty-saving heroics in Argentina’s World Cup victory.
Rúben Dias (🇵🇹 Portugal) – Manchester City’s defensive rock, essential to their defense in winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League.
Erling Haaland (🇳🇴 Norway) – Manchester City’s goal-scoring machine, breaking numerous records in the 2023-24 season, including the Premier League’s single-season goals tally.
Nico Williams (🇪🇸 Spain) – Athletic Bilbao’s exciting winger, known for his pace and dribbling, making strides in La Liga and internationally with Spain.
Artem Dovbyk (🇺🇦 Ukraine) – Girona’s Ukrainian striker, pivotal in his club’s impressive campaigns with his sharp goal-scoring ability.
Granit Xhaka (🇨🇭 Switzerland) – The experienced midfielder, who had a standout season for Arsenal and his national team, now playing for Bayer Leverkusen.
Toni Kroos (🇩🇪 Germany) – Real Madrid’s midfield maestro, known for his passing accuracy and control, remains one of the top players in world football.
Vinícius Júnior (🇧🇷 Brazil) – Real Madrid’s electric winger, whose pace, flair, and goal contributions have made him one of the most feared attackers in the world.
Dani Olmo (🇪🇸 Spain) – RB Leipzig’s attacking midfielder, known for his creativity, intelligence, and key performances for both club and country.
Martin Ødegaard (🇳🇴 Norway) – Arsenal’s captain and midfield playmaker, central to their title challenge with his vision and leadership.
Mats Hummels (🇩🇪 Germany) – Borussia Dortmund’s veteran center-back, who had a resurgence in form, bringing stability and experience to his side’s defense.
Florian Wirtz (🇩🇪 Germany) – Bayer Leverkusen’s young playmaker, already considered one of the brightest talents in Europe due to his technical brilliance.
Rodri (🇪🇸 Spain) – Manchester City’s midfield anchor, essential to their treble success, notably scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final.
Cole Palmer (England) – The young Manchester City graduate, now at Chelsea, shined in limited opportunities, particularly in key matches.
Declan Rice (England) – Arsenal’s new signing and former West Ham captain, known for his defensive work rate and leadership, crucial in West Ham’s Europa Conference League win.
Vitinha (🇵🇹 Portugal) – Paris Saint-Germain’s young midfielder, praised for his technical ability and versatility, contributing in both attacking and defensive phases.
Harry Kane (England) – Bayern Munich’s new talisman and England’s all-time top scorer, continuing his goal-scoring excellence with Tottenham and his new club.
Lamine Yamal (🇪🇸 Spain) – Barcelona’s young prodigy, making waves with his mature performances and flair at just 16 years old.
Bukayo Saka (England) – Arsenal’s influential winger, who had a stellar season with his assists, goals, and key performances in their title race.
William Saliba (🇫🇷 France) – Arsenal’s defensive stalwart, whose presence was crucial to their strong defensive record during their title push.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu (🇹🇷 Turkey) – Inter Milan’s creative force, key in their run to the Champions League final with his vision and set-piece expertise.
Dani Carvajal (🇪🇸 Spain) – Real Madrid’s experienced right-back, known for his defensive reliability and contributions in attack.
Kylian Mbappé (🇫🇷 France) – Real Madrid’s superstar, who continues to dominate with his speed, dribbling, and goal-scoring prowess.
Lautaro Martínez (🇦🇷 Argentina) – Inter Milan’s top striker, whose goals were pivotal in their domestic and European campaigns.
Ademola Lookman (🇳🇬 Nigeria) – Atalanta’s Nigerian winger, enjoying a breakout season in Serie A with his speed and goal-scoring ability.
Álex Grimaldo (🇪🇸 Spain) – Bayer Leverkusen’s left-back, known for his attacking contributions, notably his assists and goals from defense.
Antonio Rüdiger (🇩🇪 Germany) – Real Madrid’s robust defender, known for his physicality and consistency at the back.