2024 Ballon d'Or Recap - Major Awardees and Significant Highlights
🌟 2024 Ballon d'Or Ceremony Recap: Man City's Rodri Scoops Top Prize
🔥 On a chilly October 28th, the 68th edition of the prestigious Ballon d'Or awards lit up Paris! The ceremony, held at the iconic Théâtre du Châtelet, welcomed the crème de la crème of the football world as Man City's midfield maestro, Rodri, shone the brightest!
🎯 How Winners Are Chosen
For the Player of the Year accolade, journalists from the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings cast their votes. The voting process for the Kopa Trophy, Yashin Trophy, and Johan Cruyff Trophy follows a similar pattern, with key differences based on the category. No public or player voting is involved.
🏆 Men's Ballon d'Or Winners & Runners-Up
❗️ Rodri’s exceptional season, culminating in the Premiere League title with Man City and Euro 2024 victory with Spain, earned him the top award! This defensive powerhouse skillfully managed 63 matches for both club and country, striking 12 goals and setting up another 15. Whenever Rodri was present, Man City averaged 2.7 goals while conceding a mere 0.9. Fascinatingly, these averages dropped significantly in his absence!
📊 Top Ten Players of the Year
- Rodri (Man City and Spain)
- Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid and Brazil)
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England)
- Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid and Spain)
- Erling Haaland (Man City and Norway)
- Kylian Mbappé (PSG/Real Madrid and France)
- Lautaro Martínez (Inter and Argentina)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)
- Toni Kroos (Real Madrid and Germany)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England)
🏆 Johan Cruyff Trophy Winner and Others
🏅 Carlo Ancelotti claimed the Coach of the Year award, capping off a triumphant season with Real Madrid, having led them to both the Champions League and La Liga titles. Despite boycotting the awards, Real Madrid's delegation acknowledged Ancelotti's achievements through an Instagram post.
🤕 Sadly, South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams missed out on the Yashin Trophy, despite an outstanding club season and heroics during the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. The glory fell to Emiliano Martínez, who held the rivalry top spot. However, Williams made history as the first African goalkeeper ever nominated.
🔔 Upcoming Football Action
🏈 Outstanding as ever, stay tuned for the Carabao Cup and PSL!
Analyst James O'Connor, with a UEFA A coaching licence and a wealth of experience in the analysis realm for various clubs, is your trusty companion for all things football. Follow James on Twitter at @footy_analysis to witness the game unfold!
- Rodri's exceptional season in both European-leagues and with the Spanish national team, culminating in the Premier-League title with Man City and the Euro 2024 victory, earned him the coveted Ballon d'Or award.
- The top European-leagues were well-represented in the top ten players of the year shortlist, with Rodri from Man City, Dani Carvajal from Real Madrid, Erling Haaland from Man City, Kylian Mbappé from PSG/Real Madrid, and Lautaro Martinez from Inter, all recognized.
- Journalists from the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings cast their votes for the Ballon d'Or Player of the Year, as well as for the Kopa Trophy, Yashin Trophy, and Johan Cruyff Trophy, following a similar pattern with some category-specific differences.
- In the footy_analysis community, followers can look forward to insightful analysis and updates on the Carabao Cup and PSL, provided by analyst James O'Connor, who boasts a UEFA A coaching licence and a wealth of experience in the analysis realm for various clubs.
- While Ronwen Williams missed out on the Yashin Trophy, despite an outstanding performance in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, he made history as the first African goalkeeper to be nominated for the award, signifying substantial progress in football journalism.
