4/9/2024–|Last update: 4/9/202410:29 PM (Makkah Time)
French magazine France Football revealed today, Wednesday, the list of nominees for the Golden Ball award for the best football player in the world, in addition to a number of individual awards for the best young player, coach, goalkeeper and club during the current year.
For the first time since 2003, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who has won the award eight times, and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award five times, are absent from the list of nominees.
The French magazine nominated 30 players for the Golden Ball award: Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, Brazilian Vinicius Junior, Englishman Jude Bellingham, Uruguayan Federico Valverde, Dani Carvajal, German Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Spanish Rodri, Norwegian Erling Haaland, Englishman Phil Foden, Portuguese Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Argentine Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Spanish Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), German Florian Wirtz, Spanish Alejandro Grimaldo, Swiss Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen), German Toni Kroos (retired), Ukrainian Artem Dubiak (Roma).
The list also included Spaniards Dani Olmo, Lamine Jamal (Barcelona), French William Saliba, English Bukayo Saka, Norwegian Martin Odegaard, English Declan Rice (Arsenal), German Mats Hummels (Roma), Argentine Lautaro Martinez, Turkish Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter), English Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), English Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Nigerian Ademola Lookman (Atalanta), and Portuguese Vitina (Paris Saint-Germain).
Cuba Award
France Football has nominated Barcelona and Spain duo Lamine Jamal and Pau Coparsi, Paris Saint-Germain duo Warren Zaire-Emery and Portuguese Joao Neves, who joined this summer from Benfica, for the “Copa” award for the best young player in the world.
Also nominated for the award are Manchester United duo Alejandro Garnacho and Englishman Kobbie Mainoo, Bayern Munich’s Dutchman Matthias Tel, Salzburg’s Ivorian Karim Kone, Real Madrid’s Turkish player Arda Guler, and Manchester City’s Brazilian player Savinho, who joined from Girona this summer.
Yashin Award
Ten goalkeepers have been nominated for the Yashin Award for the best goalkeeper in the world: Argentine Emiliano Martinez, Aston Villa player and last year’s winner, Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Swiss duo Yann Sommer (Inter Milan), Grigor Kopil (Borussia Dortmund), Georgian Georgi Mamardashvili (Valencia), Portuguese Diogo Costa (Porto), Spanish Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Ukrainian Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid), and South African Ronwen Williams (Sundowns).
Best Coach Award
The Italian Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid) and his compatriot Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta) are competing for the Best Coach award, along with the Spanish trio Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen), Luis de la Fuente (Spain national team), and Lionel Scaloni (Argentina national team).
Best Club in the World Award
Five clubs were nominated for the best club in the world award: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City and Girona.
The 68th edition of the Ballon d’Or will be held on October 28 in a theatre in the French capital, Paris.
