Spain dominates as Ballon d’Or nominee list announced

Olympic champions Spain and Champions League winners Real Madrid headline the list of players vying for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual award.
The list of 30 nominees was announced on Wednesday and for the first time since 2003, neither Argentina’s Lionel Messi nor Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo feature.
Notable names on the list include, Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and Erling Haaland.
Spain’s emerging teenage star Lamine Yamal was also nominated.
Also worth noting in the Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy for Goalkeeper of the Year is South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, the first ever footballer playing in Africa to be nominated for the award.
To date, football icon George Weah remains the only African to be voted Best Player,  winning the Ballon d’Or in 1995.
Among the female contenders, Aitana Bonmati, who won the women’s award last year has been nominated again.
US stars Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Alyssa Naeher, and Lindsey Horan are also on the 30-long list of contenders.
In addition to the usual accolades, the 2024 edition will introduce two new awards for both Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year.
Created by France Football magazine, the Ballon d’Or was first awarded in 1956. The winners are voted for by a jury of men’s and women’s soccer journalists.
The 2024 awards will be presented at a ceremony in Paris on 28 October.