BREAKING: If Arsenal maintain Top-four till January then the £76m Gunner’s star will automatically win the Ballon d’Or 2024
Premier League champions Manchester City and runners up Arsenal have a combined eight players in the nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, while six England stars make the cut.
Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer are all in the running for the gong having helped England to the final of Euro 2024.
Ruben Dias, Rodri and Erling Haaland are Manchester City’s other representatives, while the Gunners stars Martin Odegaard and William Saliba are also among the nominees.
Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez is also in with a shout having helped Argentina to the Copa America title and the Villans into the Champions League, making it ten Premier League players in the 30-man shortlist.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi – who last won the prestigious award last year – isn’t included, and neither is five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s the first time neither player has been selected since 2003.
The award is voted for by a jury of journalists from each of the top 100 countries in the Fifa men’s world ranking, with the ceremony set to take place on October 28.
Ballon d’Or nominees
Jude Bellingham (England and Real Madrid)
Ruben Dias (Portugal and Manchester City)
Phil Foden (England and Manchester City)
Federico Valverde (Uruguay and Real Madrid)
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina and Aston Villa)
Erling Haaland (Norway and Manchester City)
Nico Williams (Spain and Athletic Bilbao)
Granit Xhaka (Switzerland and Bayer Leverkusen)
Artem Dovbyk (Ukraine and Roma)
Toni Kroos (former Germany and Real Madrid)
Vinicius Jr (Brazil and Real Madrid)
Dani Olmo (Spain and Barcelona)
Florian Wirtz (Germany and Bayer Leverkusen)
Martin Odegaard (Norway and Arsenal)
Mats Hummels (Germany, free agent)
Rodri (Spain and Manchester City)
Harry Kane (England and Bayern Munich)
Declan Rice (England and Arsenal)
Vitinha (Portugal and Paris St-Germain)
Cole Palmer (England and Chelsea)
Dani Carvajal (Spain and Real Madrid)
Lamine Yamal (Spain and Barcelona)
Bukayo Saka (England and Arsenal)
Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkey and Inter Milan)
William Saliba (France and Arsenal)
Kylian Mbappe (France and Real Madrid)
Lautaro Martinez (Argentina and Inter Milan)
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria and Atalanta)
Antonio Rudiger (Germany and Real Madrid)
Alejandro Grimaldo (Spain and Bayer Leverkusen)
