Anticipation builds as the ceremony approaches

There is only one day left until the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, which will present the trophy to the best player of the year. The nominated players have already been announced, with Serie A player Lautaro Martinez also in the top five in fifth position. Among the top four candidates, three are from Real Madrid: Vinicius (the big favourite), Bellingham and Carvajal. In second place is Rodri, a key player for Manchester City and Spain. For the first time, neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo is on the list of potential winners. The award will be made based on the period from August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024. For the first time, two winners will take part in the awards ceremony without knowing in advance about their victory. Date, time and candidates are listed below. When the Ballon d’Or is awarded The 68th Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris tomorrow, Monday 28 October, starting at 6:45 pm. Candidates 1. Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid) 2. Rodri (Manchester City) 3. Bellingham (Real Madrid) 4. Carvajal (Real Madrid) 5. Lautaro Martinez (Inter) 6. Toni Kroos (retired) 7. Mbappe (Real Madrid) 8. Kane (Bayern Munich) 9. Foden (Manchester City) 10. Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao) 11. Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen “) 12. Yamal (Barcelona) 13. Haaland (Manchester City) 14. Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) 15. Dani Olmo (Barcelona) Women’s Ballon d’Or Women’s Ballon d’Or is likely to be won , as last year, the Spanish Aitana Bonmati, the main favorite. The podium could be entirely painted in Barcelona colours, as the other two favorites for the award are Bonmati’s teammates Alexia Putellas, winner in 2021 and 2022, and Salma Paralluelo. Where to watch the Ballon d’Or ceremony on TV and streaming The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on DAZN, and is also available via streaming and via the DAZN app for smartphones and tablets. Commentary of the event Pierluigi Pardo will be tasked with commentating the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony for the best player, who will be accompanied for the occasion by former national team midfielder Marco Parolo. Who votes for the Ballon d’Or Since 2022, the voting mechanism has been changed. Now only journalists from the 100 countries included in the FIFA rankings have the right to vote, with the exception of representatives of countries ranked 101st and above. This change narrowed the pool of voters, making the process more focused on countries with greater weight on the international football stage. Hall of Fame 1956: Stanley Matthews (England, Blackpool) 1957: Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain, Real Madrid) 1958: Raymond Kopa (France, Real Madrid) 1959: Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain, Real Madrid) 1960 : Luis Suarez (Spain) 1961: Omar Sivori (Italy, Juventus) 1962: Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia, Dukla Prague) 1963: Lev Yashin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Moscow) 1964: Denis Law (Scotland, ” Manchester United”) 1965: Eusebio (Portugal, Benfica) 1966: Bobby Charlton (England, Manchester United) 1967: Florian Albert (Hungary, Ferencvaros) 1968: George Best (Northern Ireland, Manchester United) 1969: Gianni Rivera (Italy, Milan) 1970: Gerd Müller (Germany, Bayern Munich) 1971: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands, Ajax) 1972: Franz Beckenbauer (Germany, Bayern Munich) 1973: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands, Barcelona) 1974: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands, Barcelona) 1975: Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kiev) 1976: Franz Beckenbauer (Germany, Bayern, Munich) 1977: Allan Simonsen (Denmark, Borussia Mönchengladbach) 1978: Kevin Keegan (England, Hamburg) 1979: Kevin Keegan (England, Hamburg) 1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany, Bayern Munich) 1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany, Bayern Munich) 1982: Paolo Rossi (Italy, Juventus) 1983: Michel Platini (France, Juventus) 1984: Michel Platini (France, Juventus) 1985: Michel Platini (France, Juventus) 1986: Igor Belanov (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kiev) ) 1987: Ruud Gullit (Netherlands, Milan) 1988: Marco van Basten (Netherlands, Milan) 1989: Marco van Basten (Netherlands, Milan) 1990: Lothar Matthäus (Germany, Inter) 1991: Jean-Pierre Papin (France, Marseille) 1992: Marco van Basten (Netherlands, Milan) 1993: Roberto Baggio (Italy, Juventus) 1994: Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria, Barcelona) 1995: George Weah (Liberia, Milan) 1996: Matthias Sammer (Germany, Borussia Dortmund) 1997: Ronaldo (Brazil, Inter) 1998: Zinedine Zidane (France, Juventus) 1999: Rivaldo (Brazil, Barcelona) 2000: Luis Figo (Portugal, Real Madrid) 2001: Michael Owen (England, Liverpool) 2002: Ronaldo (Brazil, Real Madrid “) 2003: Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic, Juventus) 2004: Andrey Shevchenko (Ukraine, Milan) 2005: Ronaldinho (Brazil, Barcelona) 2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy, Real Madrid) 2007: Kaka (Brazil, Milan “”) 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Manchester United) 2009: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona) 2010: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona) 2011: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona) 2012: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona) 2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid) 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid) 2015: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona) 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid) 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid) 2018: Luca Modric (Croatia, Real Madrid) 2019: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona) 2020: Not awarded (due to COVID-19 pandemic) 2021: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Paris Saint-Germain) 2022: Karim Benzema (France, Real Madrid ) 2023: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Inter Miami) Curiosity Youngest winner: Lionel Messi won his first Ballon d’Or at just 22 years old, in 2009. This victory marked the beginning of a stellar career that made him the most decorated player in the history of the award. Oldest winner: Lev Yashin, the legendary Soviet goalkeeper, received the award in 1963 at the age of 34. Yashin remains the only goalkeeper in history to win the Ballon d’Or. Dominant teams: Barcelona and Real Madrid are the teams with the most Ballon d’Or winners. With players such as Messi, Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Alfredo Di Stefano, the two Spanish giants dominated the international scene for decades.