Ballon d’Or results go viral ahead of ceremony tonight
Vinicius Jr has been tipped to win the award
A list claiming to reveal the top 12 finishers in the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or has gone viral just ahead of Monday night’s official ceremony in Paris.
This unverified yet widely circulated list places Vinicius Junior at the top with 630 points – a tally notably higher than the points Lionel Messi garnered in 2023, though still below Messi’s 2019 score of 686, Luka Modric’s 2018 total of 753, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2017 high of 946.
According to the list, if accurate, Manchester City midfielder Rodri has secured second place with 576 points, followed by Jude Bellingham in third with 422 points.
Ballon d’Or votes are cast well before the ceremony, and rumors began circulating as early as September that Vinicius might have been informed of his victory, though he has not received official confirmation.
In a shift from tradition, L’Equipe reports that this year’s winner does not know the outcome in advance, with no interview or photoshoot conducted ahead of the ceremony as was done in previous years.
The alleged top 12, according to the leaked list, in this year’s vote are as follows:
- Vinicius Junior, 630 points
- Rodri, 576 points
- Jude Bellingham,422 points
- Kylian Mbappe, 317 points
- Harry Kane, 201 points
- Erling Haaland, 195 points
- Lamine Yamal, 128 points
- Phil Foden, 29 points
- Dani Olmo, 25 points
- Florian Wirtz, 24 points
- Dani Carvajal, 17 points
- Antonio Rudiger, unknown
Vinicius, a key figure in Real Madrid’s successful La Liga and Champions League campaigns last season, could become the first Ballon d’Or winner born in the 21st century.
Remarkably, the men’s award has yet to be claimed by anyone born in the 1990s, largely due to the dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo (born in 1985) and Lionel Messi (born in 1987).
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on Monday night at the Theatre du Châtelet in Paris, where the Feminin prize – expected to go to Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí – and other awards, including the Kopa Trophy, Yashin Trophy, and newly introduced coaching honors, will also be presented.
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