The 30 players vying for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, which honors the best male player in the world over the past season, have been announced.

Real Madrid stars Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior are the leading contenders, with either potentially becoming only the fifth different winner in the last 17 years, following two decades of dominance by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Both Bellingham and Vinicius had outstanding seasons, helping Real Madrid secure La Liga and the Champions League titles, with Bellingham scoring 23 goals and Vinicius 24.

However, their hopes for international success fell short, with Bellingham’s England losing in the Euro 2024 final and Vinicius’ Brazil underperforming in the Copa America.

Other top contenders include Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Nico Williams, and Lamine Yamal, all of whom will be aiming for high placements in the final rankings.

Notably, many expected Messi to be nominated after leading Argentina to another Copa America victory, but the 37-year-old did not make the shortlist. Ronaldo was also left out for the second consecutive year, marking the first time in 21 years that neither has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

Ballon d’or 2024 nominees

• Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England
• Ruben Dias – Man City/Portugal
• Phil Foden – Man City/England
• Federico Valverde – Real Madrid/Uruguay
• Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa/Argentina
• Erling Haaland – Man City/Norway
• Nico Williams – Athletic Club/Spain
• Granit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen/Switzerland
• Artem Dovbyk – Girona/Roma/Ukraine
• Toni Kroos – Real Madrid/Germany
• Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid/Brazil
• Dani Olmo – RB Leipzig/Barcelona/Spain
• Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen/Germany

They're all here!

But… who should win it? #ballondor pic.twitter.com/SrkHBrJtuI

— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 4, 2024

• Martin Odegaard – Arsenal/Norway
• Mats Hummels – Borussia Dortmund/Roma/Germany
• Rodri – Man City/Spain
• Harry Kane – Bayern Munich/England
• Declan Rice- Arsenal/England
• Vitinha – PSG/Portugal
• Cole Palmer – Chelsea/England
• Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid/Spain
• Lamine Yamal – Barcelona/Spain
• Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England
• Hakan Calhanoglu – Inter/Turkey
• William Saliba – Arsenal/France
• Kylian Mbappe – PSG/Real Madrid/France
• Lautaro Martinez – Inter/Argentina
• Ademola Lookman – Atalanta/Nigeria
• Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid/Germany
• Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen/Spain

Here's the full recap of the 2024 Men's Ballon d'Or nominees!#ballondor pic.twitter.com/B9AG4nrc0N

— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 4, 2024

When is the Ballon d’Or 2024 winner announced?

The Ballon d’Or will be presented to the best male player on 28 October at the annual ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.

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Barcelona have officially confirmed the signing of midfielder Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig. The 26-year-old, who began his football journey at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy but never made a senior appearance for the club, returns to Camp Nou in a deal worth an initial €55 million, with an additional €7 million in potential add-ons.

Olmo has signed a six-year contract with Barcelona, and his release clause has been set at an astounding €500 million.

President 🤝 Dani Olmo pic.twitter.com/YDcWKbtdeV

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 9, 2024

Following the announcement, Olmo’s family was seen celebrating the transfer in Barcelona shirts featuring his name and the number 20, which became available after Sergi Roberto’s departure this summer. Although Olmo has never worn the number 20 before—he wore 7 at Leipzig and currently wears the number 10 for Spain—he seems set to embrace this new number at Barcelona.

Hello, Barcelona pic.twitter.com/vzDNuKUkji

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 9, 2024

Olmo first joined Barcelona’s youth system in 2007, spending seven years progressing through the ranks before moving to Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb in search of first-team opportunities. After six successful years at Zagreb, Olmo transferred to RB Leipzig, where he amassed 29 goals and 34 assists in 148 appearances.

🏟️ Look, Dani, this will be your home! pic.twitter.com/nnRVwiJnlx

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 9, 2024

Reports indicate that Barcelona’s ambitions do not stop with Olmo. The club is reportedly keen on reuniting him with another Spanish star, Athletic Club winger Nico Williams. Williams’ contract includes a €58 million release clause, and Barcelona president Joan Laporta is said to be personally involved in negotiations to bring the winger to Camp Nou this summer.

𝗙𝗖 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗢𝗹𝗺𝗼

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 9, 2024

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Dani Olmo set a record for Spain during the 2022 World Cup by scoring the game’s first goal on Wednesday at Al Thumama Stadium.

In their 2022 World Cup opener against Costa Rica, Spain scored their 100th World Cup goal when Dani Olmo scored the game’s first goal on Wednesday at Al Thumama Stadium.

Despite not having a strong goal scorer and relying too much on creative midfielders, La Roja got off to the best possible start as Olmo entered the box and lifted the ball over Keylor Navas to reward Spain for their rapid beginning.

Spain dominated the international scene in the late 2000s and early 2010s, winning a World Cup and two European Championships, but has subsequently struggled to string together strong performances at major tournaments.

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Andres Iniesta’s late victory in the 2010 World Cup final is without a doubt the most significant of Spain’s World Cup goals.

The former Barcelona midfielder controlled the ball and blasted in as time expired in a goalless match with penalties approaching, giving La Roja their first world title and second straight tournament victory following Euro 2008.

Surprisingly, Spain has only advanced past the World Cup quarterfinals once, in 2010, which means that many of their tournament goals have been quite ineffective.

David Villa scored three goals to help Spain advance out of the 2010 World Cup group stages.

He also scored second-half goals in Spain’s victories over Portugal and Paraguay in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively. Before that triumph over the Netherlands, Carles Puyol’s header against Germany gave the Spaniards yet another 1-0 victory.

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