Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois refuses to pick a single player as he makes interesting 2024 Ballon d’Or choice
Thibaut Courtois refused to name a single player when asked to take his pick for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award. However, he wants one of his Real Madrid teammates to win the annual honor. Seven Los Blancos players have made it to the list of 30 nominees this year.
The Real Madrid players nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award are Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe, and Toni Kroos, who retired in July.
Los Blancos, nominated for the Ballon d’Or Club of the Year award, won three trophies - the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, and Supercopa de Espana - last season. Valverde, Bellingham, Vinicius, Carvajal, Rudiger, and Kroos immensely contributed to the Spanish giants' prolific campaign.
Mbappe, meanwhile, arrived at Santiago Bernabeu this summer on a free transfer. The Frenchman recorded 44 goals and 10 assists in 48 games across competitions while winning the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France with Paris Saint-Germain last season.
When asked to name his choice for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award, Thibaut Courtois mentioned he would want the winner to be from Los Blancos, and said (via Madrid Xtra on X):
"Ballon d’Or? Hopefully one of my teammates wins it. They all have merit, but I hope the winner is from Real Madrid."
The last Real Madrid player to win this annual award was Karim Benzema in 2022. The French star registered 44 goals and 15 assists, helping the club win the La Liga and UEFA Champions League in the 2021-2022 campaign.
La Liga president chooses Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr to win 2024 Ballon d’Or
La Liga president Javier Tebas named Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr as his choice for the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner. Several fans, footballers, and pundits have picked the Brazilian as their favorite to win the honor.
Vinicius, who signed for Los Blancos in 2018 for a reported fee of €46 million, netted 24 goals and provided 11 assists in 39 appearances across competitions last season. He was also named the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season.
While taking his pick for the annual award, Tebas mentioned Vinicius to be unique and said (via Madrid Xtra on X):
"Ballon d'Or? Vinicius is a different player. He deserves it."
If Vinicius Jr wins this year's Ballon d'Or, he will become the first Brazilian to do so since Kaka in 2007.