<body><div><h2>The latest from Paris as soccer royalty awaits new men's and women's winners </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3bxCSc_0wPi3Sp200" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3bxCSc_0wPi3Sp200" width="970" height="546" ><figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption></figure><p>The world's best men's and women's soccer players will gather in Paris at Theatre du Chatelet on Monday for the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony. It is the 68th edition of the hallowed gala event which French publication France Football has awarded to the best soccer players since 1956. </p><p>An international jury of journalists each selects 10 players with that order dictating how many points each player gets from 15 down to one with the highest points tally winning the Ballon d'Or. </p><p>Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati are the current titleholders of the main prizes across both categories and it is widely considered to be the most prestigious individual award available to top soccer players. Messi is not even on this year's 30-man shortlist so cannot hope to defend his eighth crown nor feature in the ranking of those top 30 players which will be published before the final three names are announced. </p><p>Bonmati won her first women's category crown in 2023 and the award was only introduced back in 2018 and is in the field to defend her title. She could also emulate Barca teammate Alexia Putellas in winning consecutive awards -- which would extend the Catalans' dominance of the prize to four straight years since 2021. </p><p>Other awards on offer include the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 talent which has been won by the likes of Real Madrid pair Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham in the past and the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper which is currently Aston Villa's Emi Martinez.</p><p>You can follow all of the latest from the French capital as the awards are dished out right here.</p><p><b>Updating Live</b> </p><p>(26) </p><h2>2024 women's Ballon d'Or</h2><p>No surprises here as it goes to Barcelona and Spain's Aitana Bonmati for the second year in a row! That is now two consecutive titles for Bonmati and four straight for Barca thanks to Alexia Putellas' pair of wins before that. Joining Bonmati in the top three were Barca teammates Caroline Graham Hansen in second and Salma Paralluelo third. There was also room for USWNT pair Sophia Smith and Lindsey Horan in the top five.</p><h2>Best women's and men's head coach</h2><p>U.S. Women's National Team head coach Emma Hayes wins the Johan Cruyff prize for the best tactician in the women's game as the Stars and Stripes boss finished ahead of the likes of England's Sarina Wiegman. Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti gets the title as the best men's boss but is not there in Paris to collect the award like many of his Blancos' colleagues.</p><h2>2024 Socrates Award</h2><p>This one goes to Tigres UANL and Spain's Jennifer Hermoso. This award recognizes the player who been outstanding in the humanitarian field. Hermoso has advocated for women's soccer and speaks out against sexual harassment in the global game.</p><h2>2024 Yashin Trophy winner</h2><p>Aston Villa and Argentina's Emiliano Martinez defends his title from last year and beats off competitions from the likes of PSG and Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma and Milan's French shot stopper Mike Maignan. Real and Ukraine's Andriy Lunin was also in the mix as well as Athletic Club and Spain's Unai Simon.</p><h2>Ballon d'Or winner in the dark</h2><p>The organizers of the Ballon d'Or have hit back at Real Madrid regarding their absence over Vinicius Junior being expected to not top the rankings. Via AFP, the Spanish giants have been told that: "Even the Ballon d'Or winner does not know he has won it before tonight's ceremony. No player or club knows in the afternoon who is the winner. It is the same for every club and every club." </p><h2>Reminder to tune in anytime</h2><p>A quick reminder that you can tune in and watch the ceremony anytime on CBS Sports Golazo Network.</p><h2>2024 Gerd Muller trophy winners</h2><p>A rare piece of silverware for Bayern Munchen and England's Harry Kane who receives his prize from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge after a prolific first season in Germany. It was even between the Three Lions star and Kylian Mbappe of France who was still with Paris Saint-Germain at that point, so the prize was ultimately shared. However, it is the Englishman on the stage accepting the award.</p><h2>The other categories</h2><p>On top of the men's and women's prizes, there are a number of other awards available which include the Kop Trophy for the best young talent under the age of 21 which has been won by the likes of Mbappe and Bellingham in the past. The Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper, men's and women's head coach of the year also get recognized as well as the Gerd Muller trophy for the top scorer, men's and women's clubs of the year and the Socrates humanitarian prize.</p><h2>Best men's and women's clubs</h2><p>Spanish soccer dominating both the men's and women's game this past year with the Best Men's Club award going to La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid and the best Women's Club won by Barcelona. Joan Laporta and Alexia Putellas were there to accept their award for Barca but no trophy was handed over for Real.</p><h2>Last year's men's and women's winners?</h2><p>Messi is the record eight-time winner and current titleholder in the men's category but he will not be eligible to defend that title this year. Bonmati won her first crown in 2023 in the women's category which was only introduced in 2018 and is in the field to defend that title.</p><h2>Lamine Yamal wins the 2024 Kopa Trophy!</h2><p>No surprises that the Barcelona and Spain star wins the award for best young player. The big question is how long until he is competing for the main men's Ballon d'Or in the future? Based on recent evidence, not that long! The top five also included Real and Turkiye's Arda Guler in second, Manchester United and England's Kobbie Mainoo in third, City and Brazil's Savinho in fourth and Barca and Spain's Pau Cubarsi fifth.</p><h2>How the winners are picked</h2><p>The prizes are picked by an international jury of journalists from FIFA's top 100 men's world soccer rankings with each individual selecting 10 players. The order of merit dictates how many points each pick gets which ranges from 15 to one single point with the player scoring the most points winning the Ballon d'Or. A full ranking of the top 30 players is published in the build-up to the final three names being announced.</p><h2>Kylian Mbappe focus: PSG (now Real) and France</h2><p><b>Goals:</b> 45</p><p><b>Assists:</b> 8</p><p><b>Major titles:</b> Ligue 1 and Coupe de France</p><p><b>Case for:</b> If goal involvement and simply how far the player's teams got in their respective quests for silverware was the defining criteria then Kylian Mbappe would logically stand a good chance of winning the Ballon d'Or months after arrival at Real Madrid. One of Europe's top scorers with two pieces of domestic silverware to his name in his final term with PSG, moving to the Spanish capital is a big step in his career.</p><p><b>Case against:</b> There is the awkward reality of Champions League and Euro semifinal losses to contend with, though. The Golden Shoe award only considers league goals which ranked him behind Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and the England captain even outscored him at this summer's Euro which speaks volumes about France's underwhelming semifinal run in which Mbappe only scored a penalty and provided one assist.</p><h2>Jude Bellingham focus: Real and England</h2><p><b>Goals:</b> 25</p><p><b>Assists:</b> 12</p><p><b>Major titles:</b> Champions League and La Liga</p><p><b>Case for:</b> Bellingham was a key figure for Real during his debut season at Santiago Bernabeu. The Englishman stepped up immediately upon his move from Borussia Dortmund as part of a shift from Carlo Ancelotti's men to disguise their lack of a true focal point in attack. The result was a surprisingly productive campaign for the 21-year-old even if it faded towards the end.</p><p><b>Case against:</b> This is why Bellingham's argument for this next edition is not watertight as he was largely a passenger in the latter Champions League games -- similar to Erling Haaland in Manchester City's 2023 win -- and did not enjoy a particularly impressive Euro along with most of his fellow England Euro finalists.</p><h2>Rodri focus: City and Spain</h2><p><b>Goals:</b> 10</p><p><b>Assists:</b> 11</p><p><b>Major titles:</b> Premier League and Euro 2024</p><p><b>Case for:</b> There is little doubt that Rodri is the best in the world for his position right now and not only is he a key fixture for Manchester City but also for Spain. Given the absence of an obvious candidate who has swept all before them and created a rock solid case for the Ballon d'Or, the 28-year-old genuinely stands a very good chance after La Roja's Euro win and City's EPL title defense. His recent injury arguably creates a case for him to win it now as he might never get another shot at it.</p><p><b>Case against:</b> The only doubts for Rodri must be the fact that City failed in their quest to defend their UCL title and the fact that he came off injured before the Spanish scored either of their goals against England in the Euro final. Despite that, the midfielder was arguably only second in terms of influence on Luis de la Fuente's midfield to Paris Saint-Germain's Fabian Ruiz who does not have the same status.</p><h2>The women's favorites</h2><p>Bonmati is strongly fancied to win the women's award again to defend her crown with the World Cup winner enjoying another strong season with Barcelona who won a fifth consecutive Liga F title in Spain and also won the Champions League final against Lyon which saw her score and win player of the tournament. Spain also won the UEFA Nations League earlier this year with Bonmati scoring against France in a 2-0 success. Barca teammate Caroline Graham Hansen is competition for that award with 21 goals and 19 assists in Liga F as well as a role in the UCL team of the tournament alongside Bonmati while OL'S Kadidiatou Diani, Barca's Salma Paralluelo and USWNT's Mallory Swanson who led the Stars and Stripes to Olympic gold in Paris this summer.</p><h2>The men's favorites</h2><p>Real's Vini Jr. was expected to win the men's award for the first time despite there being no clear and obvious candidate across club and international soccer this year. The Brazil international won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Los Blancos last season and scored 24 goals with 11 assists across all competitions including one of the two goals which won Carlo Ancelotti's side the final 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. The 24-year-old's international claims are much weaker though with just two goals across nine appearances this year which included a premature Copa America quarterfinal exit. City and Spain midfielder Rodri is the other leading candidate with the injured 28-year-old key for Pep Guardiola's Premier League winners and La Roja as they won UEFA Euro 2024 which saw him named player of the tournament. Bellingham also has a case based on his Real form with 23 goals from 42 outings and he was part of the England side beaten by the Spanish in the Euro final in Germany this summer.</p><h2>Vini Jr. latest</h2><p>The build-up to confirmation of Real Madrid and the Brazil international's no-show at the event has arguably overshadowed the gala itself with a lot of incredibly entertaining petty gestures but little in the way of actual confirmed fact. Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has publicly said that "it is not good for football that a club like Real Madrid is not present at a gala of this nature" while Agence France Presse say that they have been told by the Spanish giants that the Ballon d'Or "does not respect Real Madrid" who claim that Dani Carvajal should have won based on traditional methodology. Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham also appear to be unlikely to attend with only Emiliano Butragueno expected to represent Los Blancos. Vini Jr. does have his jersey represented on the red carpet in Paris, though, while he is also not the only star name missing with City and Norway's Erling Haaland ground hopping in Sweden.</p><h2>The women's nominees</h2><p>Defending champion Bonmati of Barcelona leads the way for the women's prize but there is a host of talent based in the United States that is also in contention which includes U.S. women's national team stars Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Alyssa Naeher as well as Zambia's Barbra Banda and Brazil's Tarciane. America's Lindsey Horan of Olympique Lyonnais in France is also in the mix while Barca's contingent of Patricia Guijarro, Caroline Graham Hansen, Salma Paralluelo and former winner Alexia Putellas also technically includes Mariona Caldentey -- who has since joined Arsenal -- and Lucy Bronze -- now of Chelsea -- as well as recent arrival Ewa Pajor from VfL Wolfsburg. England internationals Lauren James and Lauren Hemp also feature.</p><h2>The men's nominees</h2><p>Manchester City and Norway's Erling Haaland as well as Real Madrid and France's Kylian Mbappe -- who will be judged for this based on his Paris Saint-Germain form after his summer move -- were expected to succeed Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the two dominant powers of world soccer in terms of men's individual awards. However, that has not transpired just yet and although both are on the shortlist, neither are expected to win with Haaland's City teammate and Spain international Rodri as well as Mbappe's Real colleague and Brazil international Vinicius Junior in contention although the latter has seemingly been informed that he has not won. </p><p>Given the lack of a clear candidate across club and international soccer, this year's men's field is wide open and there are a host of England internationals with Bayern Munchen's Harry Kane, Real's Jude Bellingham, City's Phil Foden and Arsenal pair Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka as well as Chelsea's Cole Palmer. There are also a number of Premier League-based foreign stars such as City's Portugal international Ruben Dias, Aston Villa's Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as well as Gunners pair Martin Odegaard of Norway and William Saliba of France. It is also important to note that eight-time winner Messi and five-time champion Cristiano Ronaldo have not been nominated at all which is a first since 2003.</p><h2>Vini Jr. focus: Real Madrid and Brazil</h2><p><b>Goals:</b> 26</p><p><b>Assists:</b> 9</p><p><b>Major titles:</b> Champions League and La Liga</p><p><b>Case for:</b> If the Ballon d'Or was being judged solely on club form this year, then Vini Jr. would almost certainly win the award. The Brazil international was absolutely crucial for Los Blancos and arguably merits their MVP award for last season's success.</p><p><b>Case against:</b> Sadly for Vini Jr., his Real magic wore off at Copa America where Brazil went out in the quarterfinals despite two goals from their star man in the absence of Neymar. The Brazilian national team have work to do to get back to their previous best and Vini Jr. could pay the price for their struggles here.</p><h2>2024 Women's Ballon d'Or rankings</h2><p>30 -- Grace Geyoro</p><p>29 -- Ewa Pajor</p><p>28 -- Lauren Hemp</p><p>27 -- Manuela Giugliano</p><p>26 -- Yui Hasegawa</p><p>25 -- Sjoeke Nusken</p><p>24 -- Lea Schuller</p><p>23 -- Tarciane</p><p>22 -- Glodis Viggosdottir</p><p>21 -- Mayra Ramirez</p><p>20 -- Lucy Bronze</p><p>19 -- Giulia Gwinn</p><p>18 -- Gabi Portilho</p><p>17 -- Alyssa Naeher</p><p>16 -- Tabitha Chawinga</p><p>15 -- Khadija Shaw</p><p>14 -- Ada Hegerberg</p><p>13 -- Lauren James</p><p>12 -- Barbra Banda</p><p>11 -- Patri Guijarro</p><p>10 -- Alexia Putellas</p><p>09 -- Trinity Rodman</p><p>08 -- Mariona Caldentey</p><p>07 -- Marie-Antoinette Katoto</p><p>06 -- Mallory Swanson</p><p>05 -- Lindsey Horan</p><p>04 -- Sophia Smith</p><p>03 -- Salma Paralluelo</p><p>02 -- Caroline Graham Hansen</p><p>01 -- Aitana Bonmati</p><h2>2024 Men's Ballon d'Or rankings</h2><p>29 -- Mats Hummels and Artem Dovbyk</p><p>28 -- Alejandro Grimaldo</p><p>27 -- Vitinha</p><p>26 -- Declan Rice</p><p>25 -- Cole Palmer</p><p>24 -- William Saliba</p><p>23 -- Ruben Dias</p><p>22 -- Antonio Rudiger</p><p>21 -- Bukayo Saka</p><p>20 -- Hakan Calhanoglu</p><p>19 -- Martin Odegaard</p><p>18 -- Emi Martinez</p><p>17 -- Federico Valverde</p><p>16 -- Granit Xhaka</p><p>15 -- Nico Williams</p><p>14 -- Ademola Lookman</p><p>13 -- Dani Olmo</p><p>12 -- Florian Wirtz</p><p>11 -- Phil Foden</p><p>10 -- Harry Kane</p><p>09 -- Toni Kroos</p><p>08 -- Lamine Yamal</p><p>07 -- Lautaro Martinez</p><p>06 -- Kylian Mbappe</p><p>05 -- Erling Haaland</p><h2>Vini Jr. drama</h2><p>According to reports, Real's Vini Jr. will not be walking home with the men's 2024 Ballon d'Or with multiple reports now saying that the Spanish and European champions' delegation is expected to miss the ceremony entirely. With the Brazilian superstar seemingly out of the running, this makes Manchester City and Spain Rodri the strong favorite to claim the top prize this evening in Paris.</p><h2>How to watch</h2><p><b>Date:</b> Monday, Oct. 28 | <b>Time:</b> 3:45 p.m. ET</p><p><b>Location:</b> Theatre du Chatelet - Paris, France</p><p><b>Watch:</b> CBS Sports Golazo Network</p><h2>Welcome</h2><p>Thank you for tuning in to our coverage of the 2024 Ballon d'Or award and drama has struck with Vinicius Junior and the Real Madrid delegation seemingly opting out of their appearance in Paris having learned that the Brazil international is not today's main men's award winner. We will bring you all of the latest as it unfolds with Manchester City and Spain's Rodri now the favorite to triumph in the French capital.</p></div></body>

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Watch 2024 Ballon d'Or live: Updates, results, winners as Vini Jr. drama unfolds and star skips out on show

The latest from Paris as soccer royalty awaits new men's and women's winners. The world's best men's and women's soccer players will gather in Paris at Theatre du Chatelet on Monday for the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony. It is the 68th edition of the hallowed gala event which French publication France Football has awarded to the best soccer players since 1956.

Watch 2024 Ballon d'Or live: Updates, results, winners as Vini Jr. drama unfolds and star skips out on show

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