Ballon d'Or 2024: Nominees for Best Men's Team Coach of the Year Award revealed
France Football have announced the nominees for the Best Men's Team Coach of the Year Award, ahead of the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony. The event will take place on Monday, October 28, 2024, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
The nominees for the Best Men's Team Coach of the Year Award were announced on Wednesday, September 4. They are Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen), Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid), Luis De La Fuente (Spain men's national team), Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) and Lionel Scaloni (Argentina).
The Best Men's Team Coach of the Year award was not a part of the Ballon d'Or ceremony until 2023 but has been newly introduced this season. The award will be a part of the expanded Ballon d'Or event, organized in collaboration with UEFA and Groupe Amaury, France Football's owner.
Separate nominations will be declared for the Best Women's Team Coach of the Year award for the Ballon d'Or ceremony. As per France Football, the award will maintain its independent and unchanged voting system.
Ballon d'Or 2024: A look at the nominees for the Best Men's Team Coach of the Year
All the nominated managers have been key to their respective team's success last season. They led their side to winning prestigious trophies both at the domestic and the international level.
Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti led Real Madrid to their record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League trophy, La Liga and the Supercopa de Espana. He has been key to their success since 2021.
Pep Guardiola is the only coach from the Premier League to be nominated for the prestigious award. He led his team to win the Premier League for a record fourth consecutive time last season.
Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso is another leading contender for the award. He led the German side to a record 51-game unbeaten streak last season, including a fully unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal run. Leverkusen's streak came to an end after their 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League.
At the helm of Atalanta's success was Gian Piero Gasperini, who's been at the helm of the club since 2016. Gasperini won the UEFA Europa League last season and finished fourth in the Serie A, leading to their Champions League qualification. He also reached the Coppa Italia finals with the club but lost 1-0 to Juventus.
Finally, the nominees also include Spanish national team coach Luis De La Fuente and Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni. Both managers won silverware with their team last season.
De La Fuente led Spain to Euro 2024 while Lionel Scaloni led his team Argentina to their second consecutive Copa America win in 2024, after the 2021 edition. He was also at the helm of La Albiceleste's historic 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph.
The battle for the Best Men's Coach of the Year in the Ballon d'Or ceremony will be an intense one, given how deserving each candidate is on paper.