Ballon d'Or 2024: Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger in last set of nominees for prestigious award
The final list of nominees for the 2024 Ballon d'Or includes Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, Lautaro Martínez, Ademola Lookman, and Alejandro Grimaldo. The ceremony will take place at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, on October 28, 2024.
With less than two months to go before the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner is crowned, tension is high among players and fans. The final set of nominees for the Ballon d'Or has two representatives from Real Madrid - Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger.
Kylian Mbappe was instrumental for Paris Saint-Germain once again, recording 44 goals and 10 assists in 48 games in all competitions. His performances inspired the French giants to their third consecutive Ligue 1 title in 2024. The Frenchman also won the Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions with PSG.
However, the dream of European glory remained a dream for Mbappe as PSG crashed out in the Champions League semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund. The 26-year-old also had an underwhelming Euro 2024 for Les Bleus, scoring just one goal. France were knocked out by Spain in the semi-finals.
Antonio Rudiger joined Los Blancos in the summer of 2022 and has been instrumental in the back-line for Carlo Ancelotti's side. The German helped Real Madrid keep 14 clean sheets in La Liga 23/24, recovering an average of 3.8 balls per game. He was one of the standout performers as Los Blancos secured the La Liga, Champions League, and Supercopa de Espana titles.
Lautaro Martinez is yet another favorite to fight for the top spots in the Ballon d'Or ranking. He was one of the most clutch players for Argentina in the Copa America 2024, scoring five goals - the highest in the tournament. Martinez was also the top scorer in Serie A, bagging 24 goals and helping Inter Milan win the title by a whopping 19 points.
Alejandro Grimaldo was one of the standouts of Bayer Leverkusen's historic Bundesliga-winning season. The Spaniard scored 12 goals and provided 17 assists in 51 games in all competitions for the club.
Ademola Lookman is the last player of the final set of Ballon d'Or 2024 nominees. The Nigerian forward was one of the key players in Atalanta's Europa League triumph, scoring an incredible hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.
Real Madrid tried to stop Ballon d'Or nominees Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger from going on international duty - Reports
According to The Sporting News, Real Madrid management asked coaches of France and Germany to exclude Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger from their upcoming Nations League matches. As per the report, Los Blancos wanted the players to get some rest before the club season resumes.
German boss Julian Nagelsmann has complied with the request, omitting Antonio Rudiger from the squad that will play two games in September. However, Didier Deschamps has included Kylian Mbappe in the squad for France's upcoming fixtures. According to RMC Sport, Kylian Mbappe chose to join the national team for their Nations League exploits.
France will face Italy (September 6) and Belgium (September 9), while Germany will clash against Hungary (September 7) and the Netherlands (September 10).