Rodrygo after being excluded from Ballon d’Or top 30 nominees.

Jude Bellingham of England needs to finish ahead of midfielder Rodri from Manchester City and teammate Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid in order to win the Ballon d’Or and be named the world’s finest football player for 2024.

 

Bellingham is hopeful that his incredible first season at the Bernabeu would enable him to improve upon the Kopa Trophy he took home as the best player under the age of 21 at the presentation last year.

After a brilliant beginning to his career in Spain, he scored twice in stoppage time to win the El Clasico, and a win with England in Euro 2024 would have undoubtedly secured him the Ballon d’Or.

In the last-16 match, Bellingham saved England from elimination against Slovakia with a stunning overhead kick. However, even though he made it to the final, he was unable to stop his country from losing to Spain.

 

But Vinicius might have the advantage because he scored a hat-trick in the Spanish Super Cup final and was a key player in Real Madrid’s Champions League victory.

After assisting Spain in winning Euro 2024 and helping his team defend the Premier League title, Rodri, a midfielder for Manchester City, is also considered one of the favourites among the nominations.

After scoring 38 goals for City in the previous season, Erling Haaland, Rodri’s club partner, is one of the nominees. Phil Foden and Ruben Dias have also been nominated.

Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, and Harry Kane are among the many players who represent England as runners-up in Euro 2024.

Granit Xhaka played a pivotal role in Bayer Leverkusen’s phenomenal double-winning season and he has been awarded with a place on the list.

For the first time since 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have not been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

Ballon d’Or Nominations 2024

Jude Bellingham – Real MadridRuben Dias – Manchester CityPhil Foden – Manchester CityFederico Valverde – Real MadridEmiliano Martinez – Aston VillaErling Haaland – Manchester CityNico Williams – Athletic BilbaoGranit Xhaka – Bayer LeverkusenArtem Dovbik – AS RomaToni Kroos – Real Madrid (retired)Vinicius Jr. – Real MadridDani Olmo – BarcelonaFlorian Wirtz – Bayer LeverkusenMartin Odegaard – ArsenalMats Hummels – Borussia DortmundRodri – Manchester CityHarry Kane – Bayern MunichDeclan Rice – ArsenalVitinha – Paris Saint-GermainCole Palmer – ChelseaDani Carvajal – Real MadridLamine Yamal – BarcelonaBukayo Saka – ArsenalHakan Calhanoglu – Inter MilanWilliam Saliba – ArsenalKylian Mbappe – Real MadridLautaro Martinez – Inter MilanAdemola Lookman – AtalantaAntonio Rudiger – Real MadridAlejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen