Manchester City and Spain's Rodri has won the men's 2024 Ballon d'Or award after the injured midfielder managed to see off competition from Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior to triumph in Paris on Monday. The Spanish giants also had Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal in the top four with the other member of La Roja's UEFA Euro 2024-winning squad fourth behind England star Bellingham.
It was Vini Jr. in second which attracted the most interest, though, as Real Madrid's delegation did not show in the French capital once it emerged that Rodri would become City's first-ever Ballon d'Or winner. There was no surprise in the women's category as Barcelona and Spain's Aitana Bonmati won the main prize for the second consecutive year.
Not only is that two straight titles for Bonmati but it is four back-to-back Barca awards given Alexia Putellas' double before Bonmati's recent success. Barcelona teammates Caroline Graham Hansen came second and Salma Paralluelo third while there was also room for U.S. women's national team pair Sophia Smith and Lindsey Horan in the top five.
Barcelona and Spain's Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy award for best young player in a top five which also featured Real and Turkiye's Arda Guler second, Manchester United and England's Kobbie Mainoo third, City and Brazil's Savinho fourth and Barca and Spain's Pau Cubarsi fifth.
Bayern Munchen and England's Harry Kane received the Gerd Muller Trophy after a prolific first season in Germany although it was even between the Three Lions star and Kylian Mbappe of France who was still with Paris Saint-Germain at that point. The prize was ultimately shared, but it was the Englishman on the stage accepting the award as Real's representatives were not present at the gala.
Aston Villa and Argentina's Emiliano Martinez defended his title from last year by seeing off competition from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma, Milan's French shot stopper Mike Maignan, Real and Ukraine's Andriy Lunin as well as Athletic Club and Spain's Unai Simon.
Spanish soccer is dominating both the men's and women's game this past year with the Best Men's Club award going to La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid and the best Women's Club won by Barcelona -- Joan Laporta and Alexia Putellas were there to accept their award for Barca but no trophy was handed over for Real.
There was also the 2024 Socrates Award which went to Tigres UANL and Spain's Jennifer Hermoso for being an advocate for women's football and has spoken out against sexual harassment in the game.
Men's Ballon d'Or: Rodri
Women's Ballon d'Or: Aitana Bonmati
Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal
Yashin Trophy: Emi Martinez
Gerd Muller Trophy: Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe
Johan Cruyff Trophy: Emma Hayes and Carlo Ancelotti
Socrates Trophy: Jennifer Hermoso
Best men's club: Real Madrid
Best women's club: Barcelona
And the winner is... Manchester City and Spain's Rodri! The injured midfielder managed to see off competition from Real Madrid trio Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal and Vini Jr. to win the award. Fellow injured La Roja UEFA Euro 2024 winner Carvajal finished fourth behind England international Bellingham with Brazilian star Vini Jr. second to Rodri, who becomes City's first-ever Ballon d'Or winner.
No surprises here as it goes to Barcelona and Spain's Aitana Bonmati for the second year in a row! That is now two consecutive titles for Bonmati and four straight for Barca thanks to Alexia Putellas' pair of wins before that. Joining Bonmati in the top three were Barca teammates Caroline Graham Hansen in second and Salma Paralluelo third. There was also room for USWNT pair Sophia Smith and Lindsey Horan in the top five.
U.S. Women's National Team head coach Emma Hayes wins the Johan Cruyff prize for the best tactician in the women's game as the Stars and Stripes boss finished ahead of the likes of England's Sarina Wiegman. Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti gets the title as the best men's boss but is not there in Paris to collect the award like many of his Blancos' colleagues.
This one goes to Tigres UANL and Spain's Jennifer Hermoso. This award recognizes the player who been outstanding in the humanitarian field. Hermoso has advocated for women's soccer and speaks out against sexual harassment in the global game.
Aston Villa and Argentina's Emiliano Martinez defends his title from last year and beats off competitions from the likes of PSG and Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma and Milan's French shot stopper Mike Maignan. Real and Ukraine's Andriy Lunin was also in the mix as well as Athletic Club and Spain's Unai Simon.
The organizers of the Ballon d'Or have hit back at Real Madrid regarding their absence over Vinicius Junior being expected to not top the rankings. Via AFP, the Spanish giants have been told that: "Even the Ballon d'Or winner does not know he has won it before tonight's ceremony. No player or club knows in the afternoon who is the winner. It is the same for every club and every club."
A quick reminder that you can tune in and watch the ceremony anytime on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
A rare piece of silverware for Bayern Munchen and England's Harry Kane who receives his prize from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge after a prolific first season in Germany. It was even between the Three Lions star and Kylian Mbappe of France who was still with Paris Saint-Germain at that point, so the prize was ultimately shared. However, it is the Englishman on the stage accepting the award.
On top of the men's and women's prizes, there are a number of other awards available which include the Kop Trophy for the best young talent under the age of 21 which has been won by the likes of Mbappe and Bellingham in the past. The Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper, men's and women's head coach of the year also get recognized as well as the Gerd Muller trophy for the top scorer, men's and women's clubs of the year and the Socrates humanitarian prize.
Spanish soccer dominating both the men's and women's game this past year with the Best Men's Club award going to La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid and the best Women's Club won by Barcelona. Joan Laporta and Alexia Putellas were there to accept their award for Barca but no trophy was handed over for Real.
Messi is the record eight-time winner and current titleholder in the men's category but he will not be eligible to defend that title this year. Bonmati won her first crown in 2023 in the women's category which was only introduced in 2018 and is in the field to defend that title.
No surprises that the Barcelona and Spain star wins the award for best young player. The big question is how long until he is competing for the main men's Ballon d'Or in the future? Based on recent evidence, not that long! The top five also included Real and Turkiye's Arda Guler in second, Manchester United and England's Kobbie Mainoo in third, City and Brazil's Savinho in fourth and Barca and Spain's Pau Cubarsi fifth.
The prizes are picked by an international jury of journalists from FIFA's top 100 men's world soccer rankings with each individual selecting 10 players. The order of merit dictates how many points each pick gets which ranges from 15 to one single point with the player scoring the most points winning the Ballon d'Or. A full ranking of the top 30 players is published in the build-up to the final three names being announced.
Goals: 45
Assists: 8
Major titles: Ligue 1 and Coupe de France
Case for: If goal involvement and simply how far the player's teams got in their respective quests for silverware was the defining criteria then Kylian Mbappe would logically stand a good chance of winning the Ballon d'Or months after arrival at Real Madrid. One of Europe's top scorers with two pieces of domestic silverware to his name in his final term with PSG, moving to the Spanish capital is a big step in his career.
Case against: There is the awkward reality of Champions League and Euro semifinal losses to contend with, though. The Golden Shoe award only considers league goals which ranked him behind Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and the England captain even outscored him at this summer's Euro which speaks volumes about France's underwhelming semifinal run in which Mbappe only scored a penalty and provided one assist.
Goals: 25
Assists: 12
Major titles: Champions League and La Liga
Case for: Bellingham was a key figure for Real during his debut season at Santiago Bernabeu. The Englishman stepped up immediately upon his move from Borussia Dortmund as part of a shift from Carlo Ancelotti's men to disguise their lack of a true focal point in attack. The result was a surprisingly productive campaign for the 21-year-old even if it faded towards the end.
Case against: This is why Bellingham's argument for this next edition is not watertight as he was largely a passenger in the latter Champions League games -- similar to Erling Haaland in Manchester City's 2023 win -- and did not enjoy a particularly impressive Euro along with most of his fellow England Euro finalists.
Goals: 10
Assists: 11
Major titles: Premier League and Euro 2024
Case for: There is little doubt that Rodri is the best in the world for his position right now and not only is he a key fixture for Manchester City but also for Spain. Given the absence of an obvious candidate who has swept all before them and created a rock solid case for the Ballon d'Or, the 28-year-old genuinely stands a very good chance after La Roja's Euro win and City's EPL title defense. His recent injury arguably creates a case for him to win it now as he might never get another shot at it.
Case against: The only doubts for Rodri must be the fact that City failed in their quest to defend their UCL title and the fact that he came off injured before the Spanish scored either of their goals against England in the Euro final. Despite that, the midfielder was arguably only second in terms of influence on Luis de la Fuente's midfield to Paris Saint-Germain's Fabian Ruiz who does not have the same status.
Bonmati is strongly fancied to win the women's award again to defend her crown with the World Cup winner enjoying another strong season with Barcelona who won a fifth consecutive Liga F title in Spain and also won the Champions League final against Lyon which saw her score and win player of the tournament. Spain also won the UEFA Nations League earlier this year with Bonmati scoring against France in a 2-0 success. Barca teammate Caroline Graham Hansen is competition for that award with 21 goals and 19 assists in Liga F as well as a role in the UCL team of the tournament alongside Bonmati while OL'S Kadidiatou Diani, Barca's Salma Paralluelo and USWNT's Mallory Swanson who led the Stars and Stripes to Olympic gold in Paris this summer.
Real's Vini Jr. was expected to win the men's award for the first time despite there being no clear and obvious candidate across club and international soccer this year. The Brazil international won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Los Blancos last season and scored 24 goals with 11 assists across all competitions including one of the two goals which won Carlo Ancelotti's side the final 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. The 24-year-old's international claims are much weaker though with just two goals across nine appearances this year which included a premature Copa America quarterfinal exit. City and Spain midfielder Rodri is the other leading candidate with the injured 28-year-old key for Pep Guardiola's Premier League winners and La Roja as they won UEFA Euro 2024 which saw him named player of the tournament. Bellingham also has a case based on his Real form with 23 goals from 42 outings and he was part of the England side beaten by the Spanish in the Euro final in Germany this summer.
The build-up to confirmation of Real Madrid and the Brazil international's no-show at the event has arguably overshadowed the gala itself with a lot of incredibly entertaining petty gestures but little in the way of actual confirmed fact. Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has publicly said that "it is not good for football that a club like Real Madrid is not present at a gala of this nature" while Agence France Presse say that they have been told by the Spanish giants that the Ballon d'Or "does not respect Real Madrid" who claim that Dani Carvajal should have won based on traditional methodology. Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham also appear to be unlikely to attend with only Emiliano Butragueno expected to represent Los Blancos. Vini Jr. does have his jersey represented on the red carpet in Paris, though, while he is also not the only star name missing with City and Norway's Erling Haaland ground hopping in Sweden.
Defending champion Bonmati of Barcelona leads the way for the women's prize but there is a host of talent based in the United States that is also in contention which includes U.S. women's national team stars Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Alyssa Naeher as well as Zambia's Barbra Banda and Brazil's Tarciane. America's Lindsey Horan of Olympique Lyonnais in France is also in the mix while Barca's contingent of Patricia Guijarro, Caroline Graham Hansen, Salma Paralluelo and former winner Alexia Putellas also technically includes Mariona Caldentey -- who has since joined Arsenal -- and Lucy Bronze -- now of Chelsea -- as well as recent arrival Ewa Pajor from VfL Wolfsburg. England internationals Lauren James and Lauren Hemp also feature.
Manchester City and Norway's Erling Haaland as well as Real Madrid and France's Kylian Mbappe -- who will be judged for this based on his Paris Saint-Germain form after his summer move -- were expected to succeed Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the two dominant powers of world soccer in terms of men's individual awards. However, that has not transpired just yet and although both are on the shortlist, neither are expected to win with Haaland's City teammate and Spain international Rodri as well as Mbappe's Real colleague and Brazil international Vinicius Junior in contention although the latter has seemingly been informed that he has not won.
Given the lack of a clear candidate across club and international soccer, this year's men's field is wide open and there are a host of England internationals with Bayern Munchen's Harry Kane, Real's Jude Bellingham, City's Phil Foden and Arsenal pair Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka as well as Chelsea's Cole Palmer. There are also a number of Premier League-based foreign stars such as City's Portugal international Ruben Dias, Aston Villa's Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as well as Gunners pair Martin Odegaard of Norway and William Saliba of France. It is also important to note that eight-time winner Messi and five-time champion Cristiano Ronaldo have not been nominated at all which is a first since 2003.
Goals: 26
Assists: 9
Major titles: Champions League and La Liga
Case for: If the Ballon d'Or was being judged solely on club form this year, then Vini Jr. would almost certainly win the award. The Brazil international was absolutely crucial for Los Blancos and arguably merits their MVP award for last season's success.
Case against: Sadly for Vini Jr., his Real magic wore off at Copa America where Brazil went out in the quarterfinals despite two goals from their star man in the absence of Neymar. The Brazilian national team have work to do to get back to their previous best and Vini Jr. could pay the price for their struggles here.
30 -- Grace Geyoro
29 -- Ewa Pajor
28 -- Lauren Hemp
27 -- Manuela Giugliano
26 -- Yui Hasegawa
25 -- Sjoeke Nusken
24 -- Lea Schuller
23 -- Tarciane
22 -- Glodis Viggosdottir
21 -- Mayra Ramirez
20 -- Lucy Bronze
19 -- Giulia Gwinn
18 -- Gabi Portilho
17 -- Alyssa Naeher
16 -- Tabitha Chawinga
15 -- Khadija Shaw
14 -- Ada Hegerberg
13 -- Lauren James
12 -- Barbra Banda
11 -- Patri Guijarro
10 -- Alexia Putellas
09 -- Trinity Rodman
08 -- Mariona Caldentey
07 -- Marie-Antoinette Katoto
06 -- Mallory Swanson
05 -- Lindsey Horan
04 -- Sophia Smith
03 -- Salma Paralluelo
02 -- Caroline Graham Hansen
01 -- Aitana Bonmati
29 -- Mats Hummels and Artem Dovbyk
28 -- Alejandro Grimaldo
27 -- Vitinha
26 -- Declan Rice
25 -- Cole Palmer
24 -- William Saliba
23 -- Ruben Dias
22 -- Antonio Rudiger
21 -- Bukayo Saka
20 -- Hakan Calhanoglu
19 -- Martin Odegaard
18 -- Emi Martinez
17 -- Federico Valverde
16 -- Granit Xhaka
15 -- Nico Williams
14 -- Ademola Lookman
13 -- Dani Olmo
12 -- Florian Wirtz
11 -- Phil Foden
10 -- Harry Kane
09 -- Toni Kroos
08 -- Lamine Yamal
07 -- Lautaro Martinez
06 -- Kylian Mbappe
05 -- Erling Haaland
04 -- Dani Carvajal
03 -- Jude Bellingham
02 -- Vini Jr.
01 -- Rodri
According to reports, Real's Vini Jr. will not be walking home with the men's 2024 Ballon d'Or with multiple reports now saying that the Spanish and European champions' delegation is expected to miss the ceremony entirely. With the Brazilian superstar seemingly out of the running, this makes Manchester City and Spain Rodri the strong favorite to claim the top prize this evening in Paris.
Date: Monday, Oct. 28 | Time: 3:45 p.m. ET
Location: Theatre du Chatelet - Paris, France
Watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network
Thank you for tuning in to our coverage of the 2024 Ballon d'Or award and drama has struck with Vinicius Junior and the Real Madrid delegation seemingly opting out of their appearance in Paris having learned that the Brazil international is not today's main men's award winner. We will bring you all of the latest as it unfolds with Manchester City and Spain's Rodri now the favorite to triumph in the French capital.
