Featured Image Credit: Getty / France Football
Topics: Ballon d'Or, Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid, Football
Ryan Smart
Topics: Ballon d'Or, Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid, Football
A 'leaked' list of the top 12 in the voting for the 2024 men's Ballon d'Or has gone viral on social media just hours before the ceremony takes place.
In recent years, the winner of the Ballon d'Or has often been 'leaked' before the ceremony itself - in comparison to decades gone by where the results would not be known until the announcement was made on the night.
Nowadays, fans often know the winner, and even the top three, hours in advance.
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This time around, several lists - which feature how many votes each player has received - has been 'leaked'.
It was earlier reported by Spanish outlet Marca that Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was set to be crowned as the 2024 men's Ballon d'Or.
The first 'leaked' document showed the Brazilian to have received the highest number of votes, ahead of Manchester City's Rodri and with Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham in third.
Erling Haaland, meanwhile, was down in sixth place, while Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal was in seventh and Phil Foden in eighth.
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There was, perhaps surprisingly, no room in the top 12 for Chelsea's Cole Palmer, who has continued where he left off this term after an incredible 2023/24 campaign which saw him score 22 Premier League goals, provide 11 assists and score in the Euro 2024 final.
The voting list for the 2024 women's Ballon d'Or, meanwhile, has not yet been leaked. Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati - who won the award last year - is among the favourites to scoop the trophy again, along with team-mate Caroline Graham Hansen and USWNT star Sophia Smith.
However, in terms of the men's awards, a second list would be 'leaked' hours later which showed totally different results.
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That claimed that Rodri, in fact, was going to be the winner of the Ballon d'Or ahead of Vinicius Junior.
This arrived shortly before Fabrizio Romano reported that no Real Madrid delegates were planning to travel to Paris as they 'knew' that Vinicius or any of his Real team-mates would not win the award.
Here is the second 'leaked' list for the men's Ballon d'Or in full:
1) Rodri (Manchester City)
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2) Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
3) Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
4) Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
5) Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid)
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6) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
7) Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
8) Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
9) Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
10) Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
11) Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
12) Phil Foden (Manchester City)
13) Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
14) Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
15) Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)