Key occasions
Barcelona win girls’s membership of the yr! The all-conquering queens of Spain and Europe beat Lyon in final season’s Ladies’s Champions League last, their third title in 4 years. Alexia Puttelas, Ballon d’Or winner in 2021 and 2022, comes as much as acquire the award.
“I want to dedicate this award to my mom and my grandmother who’ve at all times supported me,” Yamal says. “But in addition to my groups and my coaches.” Barça’s starboy completed forward of Arda Guler and Kobbie Mainoo, with Savinho fourth and Pau Cubarsi fifth.
Lamine Yamal wins the Kopa Trophy
The ceremony begins, with Didier Drogba and Sandy Herbert internet hosting. Ruud Gullit is on stage to current the primary award of the night time – the Kopa Trophy for finest younger (U21) participant. It goes to … Lamine Yamal! On the age of 17, he’s the primary participant beneath 18 to win the award.
The varied nominees in attendance are actually being referred to as out on to the stage in pairs, a few of which make sense – Rodri and Luis de la Fuente, Yamal and Putellas – others much less so. Alejandro Garnacho and Aitana Bonmatí?
Right here’s the Barcelona contingent arriving on the purple carpet …
Lamine Yamal is the recent favorite to win this yr’s Kopa Trophy – possibly Actual Madrid aren’t coming tonight as a result of they don’t wish to run into him once more …
So far as I can inform, there may be nonetheless no L’Equipe livestream for the ceremony, which is because of begin in about quarter-hour. It’s additionally not accessible to observe on TV (within the UK, at the very least). Appears a wierd setup for such a preferred and important occasion.
Rodri is right here, utilizing crutches to cross the purple carpet after struggling a season-ending ACL damage final month. He says he’s “feeling good” regardless of being early in his restoration, and insists he “doesn’t know something” about tonight’s final result. “It’s a pleasure to be nominated.”
The Barcelona admin is at it right here, absolutely …
One member of Actual Madrid’s Champions League successful 23-24 workforce who is speaking tonight is Toni Kroos. The midfielder, who retired after Germany’s Euro 2024 exit, has stated “Rodri will win,” including: “I’ve by no means seen the significance of those particular person awards in soccer, they don’t have any place.”
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who’s at tonight’s ceremony, says: “It isn’t good for soccer {that a} membership like Actual Madrid will not be current at an occasion of this nature.”
A reminder of the day’s huge growth – Actual Madrid reportedly cancelled their delegation’s journey to Paris, as a result of they imagine Vinícius Júnior won’t win the lads’s award tonight.
If all of that is true, there’s nonetheless time for organisers to provide Vinícius the award tonight whereas Actual Madrid collectively sulk in Spain. I believe even Rodri may see the humorous aspect.
“No matter whether or not Actual Madrid could also be proper about Rodri taking dwelling the prize, isn’t skipping the occasion a infantile lack of respect?” asks Rosario Russo. Oh sure, completely it’s. If a Actual Madrid participant wins the award subsequent yr, why ought to anybody else hassle to show up?
Right here’s Harry Kane, who has made the highest 10. Who is aware of, he may need been a contender tonight had Bayern overwhelmed Actual Madrid, England defeated Spain on the Euros, and Kane had not been labored into the bottom by the season’s enterprise finish.
Mario Balotelli – who completed twenty third on the 2012 shortlist – has joined Serie A strugglers Genoa. Again in 2016, the Italian stated he “may have already gained” the Ballon d’Or, however hoped to nonetheless win “within the subsequent three years”. Not going to occur now after all, however I’d wish to see him shine yet one more time.
For the primary time in 20 editions of the lads’s award, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi are on the 30-player shortlist. Messi (with eight) and Ronaldo (5) have held a grip on this golden ball for the previous twenty years, however now that period is over.
Plus awards for coaches and golf equipment …
Males’s membership of the yr: Leverkusen, Dortmund, Girona, Manchester Metropolis, Actual Madrid.
Ladies’s membership of the yr: Barcelona, Chelsea, Lyon, NJ/NY Gotham, Paris Saint-Germain.
Males’s coach of the yr: Xabi Alonso (Leverkusen), Carlo Ancelotti (Actual Madrid), Luis de la Fuente (Spain), Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Pep Guardiola (Manchester Metropolis), Lionel Scaloni (Argentina).
Ladies’s coach of the yr: Sonia Bompastor (Lyon/Chelsea), Arthur Elias (Corinthians/Brazil), Jonatan Giráldez (Barcelona), Emma Hayes (Chelsea/USA); Filipa Patão (Benfica), Sarina Wiegman (England).
A few of the different awards have already got shortlists introduced, together with these prizes for gamers:
Kopa Trophy (finest younger participant – males’s award solely): Pau Cubarsí, Alejandro Garnacho, Arda Güler, Karim Konaté, Kobbie Mainoo, João Neves, Savinho, Mathys Tel, Lamine Yamal, Warren Zaïre-Emery.
Yashin Trophy (finest goalkeeper – males’s award solely): Diogo Costa, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Gregor Kobel, Andriy Lunin, Mike Maignan, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Emiliano Martínez, Unai Simón, Yann Sommer, Ronwen Williams.
The lads’s checklist continues with Nos 15-11: Nico Williams, Ademola Lookman, Dani Olmo, Florian Wirtz and Phil Foden. A high quality quintet there, and no mistake.
The excellent news for Roma is that they’ve two gamers on the highest 30 shortlist. The unhealthy information is that they completed joint-Twenty ninth (i.e. backside) of that checklist – and neither performed for them final season.
One other early arrival on the ceremony is Marcel Desailly. Nearly as good an excuse as any to suggest Jonathan Liew’s interview with the France, Milan and Chelsea legend.
Males’s stay rating
11 Phil Foden (Man Metropolis/England)
12 Florian Wirtz (Leverkusen/Germany)
13 Dani Olmo (Barcelona/Spain)
14 Ademola Lookman (Atalanta/Nigeria)
15 Nico Williams (Athletic/Spain)
16 Granit Xhaka (Leverkusen/Switzerland)
17 Federico Valverde (Actual Madrid/Uruguay)
18 Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa/Argentina)
19 Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal/Norway)
20 Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter/Turkey)
21 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal/England)
22 Antonio Rüdiger (Actual Madrid/Germany)
23 Rúben Dias (Man Metropolis/Portugal)
24 William Saliba (Arsenal/France)
25 Cole Palmer (Chelsea/England)
26 Declan Rice (Arsenal/England)
27 Vitinha (PSG/Portugal)
28 Alejandro Grimaldo (Leverkusen/Spain)
=29 Mats Hummels (Roma/Germany)
=29 Artem Dovbyk (Roma/Ukraine)
Remaining nominees: Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Toni Kroos, Lautaro Martínez, Kylian Mbappé, Rodri, Vinícius Júnior, Lamine Yamal.
Right here comes the Spain supervisor, Luis de la Fuente, trying like he’s on his approach to acquire an Oscar after his three-hour historic drama gained Greatest Worldwide Function Movie.
“Will an American ever win the Ballon d’Or sometime?” asks Kurt Perleberg. Effectively, Megan Rapinoe has gained it, and I’ll wager that one other USWNT participant will comply with swimsuit within the subsequent few years.
As for the lads’s award, it’s onerous to see it occurring within the close to future. It appears to me that a whole lot of US gamers with huge potential find yourself hitting a ceiling – Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun, Weston McKennie, even Christian Pulisic. However who is aware of.
Males’s stay rating
16 Granit Xhaka (Leverkusen/Switzerland)
17 Federico Valverde (Actual Madrid/Uruguay)
18 Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa/Argentina)
19 Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal/Norway)
20 Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter/Turkey)
21 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal/England)
22 Antonio Rüdiger (Actual Madrid/Germany)
23 Rúben Dias (Man Metropolis/Portugal)
24 William Saliba (Arsenal/France)
25 Cole Palmer (Chelsea/England)
26 Declan Rice (Arsenal/England)
27 Vitinha (PSG/Portugal)
28 Alejandro Grimaldo (Leverkusen/Spain)
=29 Mats Hummels (Roma/Germany)
=29 Artem Dovbyk (Roma/Ukraine)
Remaining nominees: Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Toni Kroos, Ademola Lookman, Lautaro Martínez, Kylian Mbappé, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Vinícius Júnior, Nico Williams, Florian Wirtz, Lamine Yamal.
There are some huge names lacking from the ladies’s prime 30 – together with Naomi Girma, Keira Walsh, Kadidiatou Diani and Olga Carmona. Tonight’s ceremony additionally gained’t award a Kopa or Yashin award to a feminine participant, and is going down on the eve of Euro 2025 qualifiers. Is the Ballon d’Or actually treating the ladies’s recreation equally?
Ladies’s award stay rating:
11 Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain)
12 Barbra Banda (Orlando/Zambia)
13 Lauren James (Chelsea/England)
14 Ada Hegerberg (Lyon/Norway)
15 Khadija Shaw (Man Metropolis/Jamaica)
16 Tabitha Chawinga (PSG/Malawi)
17 Alyssa Naeher (Chicago/USA)
18 Gabi Portilho (Corinthians/Brazil)
19 Giulia Gwinn (Bayern/Germany)
20 Lucy Bronze (Chelsea/England)
21 Mayra Ramírez (Chelsea/Colombia)
22 Glódis Viggósdóttir (Bayern/Iceland)
23 Tarciane (Houston/Brazil)
24 Lea Schüller (Bayern/Germany)
25 Sjœke Nüsken (Chelsea/Germany)
26 Yui Hasegawa (Man Metropolis/Japan)
27 Manuela Giugliano (Roma/Italy)
28 Lauren Hemp (Man Metropolis/England)
29 Ewa Pajor (Wolfsburg/Poland)
30 Grace Geyoro (PSG/France)
Remaining nominees: Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, Caroline Graham Hansen , Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Salma Paralluelo, Alexia Putellas, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Lindsey Horan.
Listed here are the baubles being handed out on the Théâtre du Châtelet this night:
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Males’s Ballon d’Or
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Ladies’s Ballon d’Or
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Kopa Trophy (finest U21 participant)
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Yashin Trophy (finest goalkeeper)
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Gerd Müller Trophy (prime goalscorer)
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Males’s Membership of the 12 months
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Ladies’s Membership of the 12 months
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Males’s Coach of the 12 months
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Ladies’s Coach of the 12 months
Right here’s extra on the day’s huge information, and the 30-player lengthy lists which had been introduced in September. The countdowns have begun, so we’ll carry you the most recent asap …
Preamble
Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or! Ballon d’Or!!! … Ballon d’Or? Ballon d’Or?! Ballon d’Or??? The most important night time in soccer for individuals who refuse to just accept that that is basically a workforce sport, and that each participant on earth (sure, even Cristiano Ronaldo) would swap it to win the World Cup, is right here – however earlier than the ceremony in Paris has even kicked off, there’s been huge drama.
Ever because the second that brought on Rio Ferdinand to lose the run of himself, Actual Madrid baller Vinícius Júnior has been the recent favorite to win the lads’s award. On Monday, although, speculative reviews that he may very well be pipped to the prize by Manchester Metropolis midfield maestro Rodri quickly gathered severe momentum.
It’s now thought that Actual have thrown their collective toys from the pram, and won’t be sending anybody to Paris for tonight’s huge shindig. Rodri, however, is right here on crutches, which can inform its personal story. Or there could also be one other twist within the story, with France Soccer’s countdown of the highest 30 now beneath method.
The ladies’s award can also be being dished out tonight, with Aitana Bonmatí the favorite to retain her crown and proceed Barcelona’s dominance after Alexia Putellas gained it in 2021 and 2022. One other Barça participant, Caroline Graham Hansen, may very well be a contender alongside Mariona Caldentey, who left Catalonia to affix Arsenal in the summertime.
