The 2024 Ballon d’Or award ceremony held in Paris on Monday, October 28, was the 68th edition of the prestigious event.
As usual, the event saw elite footballers nominated for the award grace the occasion. Also in attendance were past footballers, who left lasting legacies in the sport.
Leading the list of former footballers who attended the occasion was French football legend and former Liverpool forward Djibril Cisse.
Borussia Dortmund legend and Roma player Mats Hummel and his teammate Artem Dovbyk were seen with their partners Cathy Fischer and Yulila Dovbyk, attending the ceremony.
We also learnt that Ballon d’Or organizers removed seats for Real Madrid players after it was confirmed the team has boycotted the event. Recall the La Liga and European giants skipped the ceremony after they learnt that Vinicius Jr will not win the Men’s Ballon d’Or award.
Former Liberian footballer-turned politician George Weah, who remains the only African player to win the award, was also in attendance .
Also, in attendance was celebrity youtuber and gamer ishowSpeed. The American has been a regular in the ceremony since his rise to fame.
Lamine Yamal wins 2024 Kopa Trophy
Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal was crowned the winner of the 2024 Golden Boy Award, beating his closest contenders – Arda Guler of Real Madrid, Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United, and Savinho of Manchester City – to the award.
The 18-year-old shone bright for for Barcelona and Spain in the 2024 Euros. He scored five La Liga giants with five assists in 37 matches, including a goal and four assists in 2024 Euros. He also bagged two assists in 2023-24 UEFA Champions League.
Harry Kane wins the Gerd Muller Award
Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane won the Gerd Muller Award which was in its fourth edition since it’s inception in 2021. The award honors the best striker in the world, taking into consideration goals scored by the player for both club and country in the year in question.
Kane became the third player to win the award after Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe. Notably, the England captain shared the award as joint-winner with Kylian Mbappe after they both scored a total of 52 goals for club and country in 2024.
However, since Kylian Mbappe was absent due to Real Madrid’s boycott of the entire Ballon d’Or ceremony, it was only Kane that was handed the award.
Emiliano Martinez wins the Yashin Trophy for the second time in a row
Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez won the 2024 Yashin Trophy, becoming the first goalkeeper to clinch the award for the second time in a row.
Martinez played a crucial role as Aston Villa returned to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 41 years, finishing fourth on the Premier League table. He also won the 2024 Copa America with Argentina for the second time.
Aitana Bonmati wins 2024 Women’s Ballon d’Or for the second time
Barcelona Femeni player Aitana Bonmati won the 2024 Women’s Ballon d’Or Award. The Spaniard saw off the competition from her closest rivals to clinch the award for the second time in a row.
Bonmati scored 6 Champions League goals for Barcelona in the 2023-24 season. In La Liga, she netted eight times and provided 11 assists as the team won the Spanish topflight.
In the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, she scored three goals with 4 assists to help the team the title. She won the Primera Women, Women’s Champions League, Copa de la Reina, and the Supercopa de Espana, including the 2023 World Cup.
Carlo Ancelotti, Ema Hayes Wins Best Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti won the Best Men’s Coach of the Year. Ancelotti won the La Liga and UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid in the year. However, he was not present to receive the award.
In the female category, former Chelsea Women manager Ema Hayes clinched the best Women’s Coach of the Year.
Hayes, who currently manages the USA women’s national team, won the 2023-24 Super League with Chelsea women. He also won the 2024 Summer Olympics Games with the USA women’s national team just a few months into the job.
Rodri win 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or award
Manchester City star Rodri saw off the competition from his closest rivals – Vinicius Jr (2nd on the rankings) and Jude Bellingham (3rd on the rankings) – to win the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or award.
The Spaniard helped Manchester City win the Premier League in the 2023-24 season, scoring 8 goals with nine assists. He was involved in three goals, comprising a goal and two assists as the team sailed to the semifinals of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League.
On the international scene, he led Spain’s charge to 2024 UEFA Men’s Championship victory in Germany. He is now the first Premier League player to win the Ballon in 16 years since Cristiano Ronaldo won the award in 2008 with Manchester United.
