Vinicius Junior and his Real Madrid teammates did not travel to Paris for the ceremony, believing Rodri Hernández will receive the award. Prominent sports commentator Palomo expressed outrage that Real Madrid is not represented at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, stating it goes against the club’s values.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or gala will take place on Monday, October 28, recognizing the best footballer in the world over the past year. Hosted at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, the ceremony is set to begin at 1:00 PM Mexico City time (3:00 PM ET) and is expected to last approximately three hours.
This edition of the Ballon d’Or signals the end of an era that has been dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, as neither is on the list of nominees for the prestigious award for the first time in 21 years.
Lionel Messi, who holds the record for the most Ballon d’Or wins with eight, claimed the award in 2023, while Erling Haaland finished in second place and Kylian Mbappé in third.
For those interested in watching the ceremony, it will stream live on TNT starting at 1:00 PM on October 28, in Mexico City time (3:00 PM ET).
Here is the ranking for the 2024 Ballon d’Or:
29. Artem Dovbyk (Girona)
29. Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
28. Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)
27. Vitinha (PSG)
26. Declan Rice (Arsenal)
25. Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
24. William Saliba (Arsenal)
23. Rúben Dias (Manchester City)
22. Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid)
21. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
20. Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan)
19. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
18. Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa)
17. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
16. Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)
15. Nico Williams (Athletic Club)
14. Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
13. Dani Olmo (Barcelona)
12. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
11. Phil Foden (Manchester City)
10. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
9. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
8. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
7. Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
6. Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
5. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
4. Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
3. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
2. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
1. Rodri (Manchester City)