Ballon d'Or organisers make one of the biggest changes in the award's history amid claims winner has already been 'leaked'
The Ballon d’Or award has been shaken up ahead of the 2024 winner being crowned at the end of October.
The annual award ceremony will take place on October 28 and will usher in a new era with neither Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi nominated for the award for the first time in 21 years.
As well as the Ballon d’Or and Ballon d’Or Feminin winners being announced, the Kopa Trophy - which is given to the best men’s player under the age of 21 - and the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper in the world will also be revealed.
Manchester City star Rodri is expected to battle Real Madrid duo Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior for the top prize with Barcelona superstar Aitana Bonmati is expected to retain her crown.
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Ahead of the show in Paris, a huge change has been reported which could make the final result much more exciting for spectators.
In previous years, the eventual year was interviewed BEFORE the ceremony by France Football meaning they knew during the night they would eventually be on stage to collect their crown and there has already been suggestions that this year’s winner has been leaked.
However, a new change reported by Mario Corteganga from The Athletic suggests the interview will no longer take place and players will only discover if they have won an award the minute the envelope is opened which adds another layer of suspense to proceedings.
Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr is the current favourite to lift the men’s award after a stellar 2023/24 season where he won La Liga, Champions League and Spanish Supercup titles.
His teammate Bellingham is also a strong contender after enjoying a fine debut season in Spain, winning the same amount of titles as his teammate while also helping England reach the final of EURO 2024.
England were beaten by a Spanish side led by Rodri who was named player of the tournament after helping Manchester City pip Arsenal to a fourth consecutive Premier League title.
City boss Pep Guardiola believes his star midfielder who is currently out injured deserves to win the award.
He said: “We would be delighted - he deserves it.
“But maybe another one deserves it too. The people will vote.
“Rodri has done not just one season, many seasons were really good and the previous season was really good with the Premier League and the Euros winning with Spain.
“But there are other players who had a good season.
“I would love one [City] player to win it because for players it means a lot. I would love it.
“But I’ve said many times, just being in contention and being there means the club - individually and collectively - has done a good season.
“There are a lot of good teams with good players, hopefully it happens but it is not in my hands.”
Marcus Banks