Spanish newspaper Marca revealed that Real Madrid striker Vinicius will be the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

“Vinicius is fully deserving of the title of star of the Ballon d’Or award ceremony on October 28 at the Chatelet theater in the French capital,” Marca reported on September 23. “It is not easy to reach the top of the football world. Feeling like the center of the football universe, surrounded by stars, is something reserved for the greatest players, and Vinicius is one of them.”

According to the Spanish-based newspaper, the voting has ended and Vinicius is said to have surpassed the top candidate Rodri. If this is true, Vinicius will become the first Brazilian player to receive this noble individual award, since Kaka in 2007.

Marca newspaper put the information about Vinicius winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or on the cover on September 23.

The organizers usually notify the winners in advance to complete preparations for the awards night. Cristiano Ronaldo often does not attend the awards ceremony when he knows he has not won the award.

Last season, Vinicius scored 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 matches in all competitions, contributing greatly to Real’s victory in the Champions League , La Liga , Spanish Super Cup and European Super Cup. The minus point of the 24-year-old striker is that he and his teammates on the Brazilian national team were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa America. Vinicius’s toughest opponent is Rodri, the mainstay who helped Man City win the Premier League and Spain win Euro 2024.

According to bookmaker Bet365 , Vinicius’s winning rate is the highest: 6/4 (bet 4 win 6). Following in order are Rodri (2/1), Jude Bellingham (5/1), Dani Carvajal (8/1), Lamine Yamal (12/1) and Lionel Messi (16/1).

Vinicius bites the gold medal to celebrate winning the Champions League, after the final match against Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, London, England, on the evening of June 1, 2024. Photo: Reuters

The Ballon d’Or was first awarded by France Football magazine in 1956. Initially, the award was only given to European players playing for European clubs. In 1995, the voting rules were changed to allow non-European players to win the award if they played for a club in the old continent. In 2007, the Ballon d’Or was expanded to include players from all over the world.

During the 2010–2015 period, the Ballon d’Or was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year and became known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or. In 2016, France Football magazine and FIFA ended their partnership, resulting in the two awards being separated as before. The Ballon d’Or remained unchanged, while the FIFA World Player of the Year award was renamed The Best.

From 2024, the European Football Federation (UEFA) reached an agreement with Group Amaury, owner of media companies France Football and L’Équipe, to co-organize the tournament, aiming to enhance the stature and global scope of the awards.

Lionel Messi holds the record for eight wins (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023), three more than Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017). Only one goalkeeper has ever won the Ballon d’Or, Lev Yashin, the Soviet Union’s keeper who won it in 1963. The Netherlands and Germany – with seven titles each – are the two countries with the most Ballon d’Or winners. Meanwhile, Barca and Real are the two clubs with the most Ballon d’Or winners, with a total of 22 players.

List of 30 nominees for the 2024 Men’s Golden Ball: Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe, Lautaro Martinez, Ademola Lookman, Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Carvajal, William Saliba, Lamine Yamal, Bukayo Saka, Hakan Calhanoglu, Rodri, Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Cole Palmer , Vitinha, Vinicius Jr, Martin Odegaard, Dani Olmo, Florian Wirtz, Mats Hummels, Erling Haaland, Nicolas Williams, Granit Xhaka, Artem Dovbik, Toni Kroos, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, Federico Valverde, Emiliano Martinez.