My top 5 Ballon D’or Contenders

The Ballon D’or, hosted by French magazine France Football, is the most coveted individual award in football

Every year, after a dazzling individual season, a 30-player shortlist is released, and every player is dreaming of winning it. It could be a 40-goal striker who’s led his team to Champions League glory, an influential midfielder who can read the game exceptionally, or even, on a more rare occasion, a rock-solid defender with clean sheets galore.

So here are my top 5 picks for the award.

VINICIUS JR

With more than 20 goals in all competitions, Vinicius formed a lethal trio with Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham, with the likes of Brahim and Joselu supplying energy on the bench. Beating defenders with his pace and flair, Vini won Champions League Player of the Season, scoring an all-important brace against Bayern in the semi-final first leg, and in the final against Dortmund. Vinicius hugely upped his game in the second half of the season after injury struggles and little impact in the first. With great performances towards the end of the La Liga season, including against the likes of Alavés and Girona, to mention a few, plus a hat-trick in the SuperCopa final against Barcelona, Vinicius went from running into defendes to leaving their legs in knots at an impressively consistent level. However, he failed to step up for Brazil at the Copa America as they were knocked out by Uruguay in the Last 16.

JUDE BELLINGHAM

The 21-year old Englishman enjoyed a stunning season in Madrid, also playing a crucial part in leading them to European and domestic success, winning La Liga Player of the Season and scoring 20+ goals and many assists in consistently incredible all-round performances. He played well for England at the Euros as they reached the final, scoring twice, both hugely important goals, a header to win England their first group stage game, and a stoppage time overhead kick equaliser whan all seemed lost. Furthermore, he was also the Three Lions’ best player in the final against Spain.

RODRI

The Spaniard established himself as one of the best passers in the Premier League with 9 assists in the 2023-24 season. Furthermore, his ability to dictate the game was crucial in City winning the title. He won Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament as Spain won, beating England in the final, and despite having to come off at half-time due to injury, he had already done enough to claim the award, with his brilliant performances never dropping a level. He scored the all-important equaliser against Georgia in the last 16 and was able to change the tempo of the game, providing neat passes to the more attacking minded midfielders Dani Olmo and Fabián Ruiz in front of him, and to the wide players, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. He also scored 8 goals for Manchester City in the League season, providing them with an occasional attacking threat.

LAUTARO MARTÍNEZ

It’s hard to ignore what Martínez did in the 2023-24 season, taking home the Serie A Golden Boot with 24 goals. He also led Argentina to the Copa America title in dramatic fashion, scoring an extra-time winner in the final against Colombia whilst Lionel Messi was a shadow of his former self during the tournament. He aslo took the Golden Boot in the tournament, and, whilst Inter failed to go far in either the Coppa Italia or the Champions League, still had an incredible season.

DANI CARVAJAL

It was thanks to Carvajal’s performances, often the underrated hero for Real Madrid, that he earns a place in this list. If either he or Rodri were to win it, they would become the first defensive player to win the award since 2006. Carvajal won both the Euros and the Champions League last season, also winning the league with Madrid in a season where they kept a sublime defensive record, conceding only 26 goals in 38 games, and only lost one game. He was also a hugely influential talisman for Spain at the Euros, and also proved a natural leader, often wearing the armband for Madrid. He grabbed 4 goals and 3 assists in La Liga and scored in the Champions League final, also scoring in the Euros and playing well in the final.