As the announcement for the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner approaches on Monday night, the frontrunner for the prestigious award has been revealed, with a certain Manchester City star expected to narrowly miss out.
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Football's most famous individual prize looks set to have a first-time winner named in Paris on Monday, with none of the award's top contenders this year – the likes of Rodri, Erling Haaland, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe – having claimed the Ballon d'Or yet.
Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo are among the 30 nominees, perhaps unsurprisingly given they compete outside Europe's top leagues now, so who will most likely claim the Golden Ball this time around?
A few months ago, it appeared City stalwart Rodri was the firm favourite to be crowned the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner after helping his club side win the Premier League title last season and Spain claim the 2024 UEFA European Championship trophy, but the sentiment surrounding the award has since swung back in Vinicius' favour.
Reports in Spain have suggested the 24-year-old is set to get his hands of the coveted prize, with Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti having recently reiterated his belief that his superstar winger's name will be called out at the ceremony.
"We can say that Vini will be the next Ballon d'Or, without a doubt," he said, according to FootBoom.
"Vinicius will win the Ballon d'Or, it's very clear to me and no one else will be able to win it."
Despite Brazil failing to go all the way at the 2024 Copa America in the United States earlier this year, Vinicius did contribute to 35 goals on the way to inspiring Real to LALIGA and UEFA Champions League glory last term.
Unlike previous editions, The Athletic reported early in October that the winner of this year's Ballon d'Or will only be interviewed by the organisers of the event, France Football, after collecting the award.
This means the victor will only find out they have been triumphant when their name is read out on stage, instead of attending the ceremony already knowing their fate.
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Bellingham's impressive debut campaign in Spain means he is likely to finish among the top three, with Mbappe and Haaland expected to round out the top five.
