Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior runs with the ball during a Spanish La Liga match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo)
Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior is likely to be one of the most high-profile absentees from the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday night when the world’s best men’s and women’s players will be crowned, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, the other hot favourite for the trophy this year in the men’s section, Manchester City and Spain star Rodri, was spotted arriving in Paris for the awards ceremony. The midfielder was on crutches, since he had injured his ACL while playing for Manchester City last month.
The Associated Press reported that Brazil forward Vinicius did not travel to the ceremony. AP also quoted a person who works for Vinicius to state that the decision that the player would not travel to Paris for the Ballon d’Or ceremony was made by his club Real Madrid.
No Messi or Ronaldo in running
This year’s awards will see neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo be in the running to win the prestigious silverware. Between it, the legendary duo has won the prestigious individual award 13 times.
The women’s field for the awards will see Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí be one of the hot favourites for the title this year. She won the award in 2023 as well. Pushing her in the race for the prestigious silverware will be Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo, who are teammates at Barcelona.
How the Ballon d’Or voting works
The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football magazine and has been awarded since 1956 for ,ale players, and since 2018 for women. Journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings vote to decide who should win the honour. Every journalist, one per country, selects 10 players in ranked order, with points attributed to each position.
The winner is the player who receives the most points. Unlike FIFA’s awards for the best players each year, fans aren’t part of the voting system.
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First uploaded on: 28-10-2024 at 22:59 IST
