BALLON D'OR 2024 Award: Winners, Disappointments and Conspiracies + Pictures

The Ballon d'Or award for 2024 have come and gone and not without many conspiracies and ill wishes from fans, teams and players alike. The awarding institution have received a barrage of attacks questioning the criterias for the just concluded edition.

Ballon d'Or

On 28th of October, 2024, Manchester City Midfielder player, Rodri emerged the winner of the prestigious football award in France having polled the highest number of votes to beat Vinicius Jnr and Jude Bellingham who both came second and third in the award.

Ademola Lookman at the Red carpet

Many have called for investigation into what they called irregularities in the award process that produced Rodri as the award winner. The Real Madrid team decided to totally boycott the event having learned that their player who have received strong indications of winning the award was in fact not going to be winner. They were awarded other trophies by the award organisers like, the Team of the Year, Manager of the Year. Romano tweeted earlier to the fact that the Madrid team have officially pulled out of going to Paris for the ceremony. and later by Tuesday the famous Sports journalist tweeted that according to Madrid that they were privy to sources who have claimed that their player, Vinicius Jnr was not awarded the prestigious trophy based on UEFA's directives. This claim has not been officially confirmed. The reason for such action if true needs to be investigated.

Rodri and Aitana with the Ballon d'Or

Two other major names that were prominent to be among the award contenders Lautaro Martinez and Jude Bellingham. But Vinicius Jnr had a louder conversation and expectation among fans. Many fans had hoped that if Vinicius didn't get it, it would probably be in the hands of Lautaro. He had a spectacular season with Inter Milan scoring thirty five goals, contributing right assists within the period under review. He was crowned Serie A champion, Copa America winner and also lifted the Italian Super Cup.

Lamine Yamal all smiles at the ceremony Red carpet

Lautaro has both golden boot for Serie A and Copa America. Not to mention that he was instrumental to the success of the Argentines in the Copa America tourney. With these magical stats in his resume, it was logical to expect him to lift the trophy but the members of the voting panel has other things in mind, apparently.

And it will be breaking the old ritual of having only the outfield players clinching the awards with Manchester City's star boy among those to conquer such feat.

Winners in the just concluded edition include;

1. Rodri                        -    Ballon d'Or

2. Lamine Yamal           -    Kopa Trophy

3. Emiliano Matinez       -    Yashin Trophy

4. Harry Kane                   -    Gerd Muller Trophy

5. Kylian Mbappe              -    Gerd Muller Trophy

6. Aitana Bonmati               -    Ballon d'Or feminin

7. Jenni Hermoso                    -    Socrates Award

8. Carlo Ancelotti                    -    Men's Coach of the Year

9. Real Madrid                        -    Club of the Year

10. FC Barcelona Femeni        -    Women's Club of the Year

11. Emma Hayes                        -    Women's Coach of the Year

Congratulations to the winners. See you all next Year hoping for less controversies and more happiness from all players and teams nominated or not.

Pictures were google sourced.

Barcelona Humiliates Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in 4:0 win

It has always been a heated encounter between the duo of FC Barcelona and CF Real Madrid whenever the meet for the El classico. 

There is always the 'sibling rivalry' kind of situation between them. In the past years, it has been seen as one the bloodiest rivalries in football competitions. Later years has seen sanity and a bit of professionality between the teams when they play.

The urge to always come at each other has reduced with each trying to play good football and come on top with a convincing win. In the last four competitive matches between the duo, Real Madrid has always come on top with good results against FC Barcelona. FC Barcelona have only just won the two friendly games played in between those four games.

So the 2023/2024 season saw the Culers loosing both legs of the La Liga season to Real Madrid who later went on to win the league. The 2024/2025 season started with Madrid doing good numbers with the signing of famous names that included Mbappe from PSG in a free move.

Barcelona on the other hand, embellished in financial constraints has to resort to promoting La Masia talents to the first team to booster the squad ahead of the season. Making matters worse is also loosing two key central defenders and two key midfielders to injury at the beginning of the season.

They face each other with three match points, pride and bragging rights at stake. They must now confront their fiercest rivals to an encounter to be engraved in the history books of sports and football lovers.

On the 26th day of October, the first leg of the El Classico for the 2024/2025 season took center stage. The match must anticipated took everyone mouth wide open in suspension for the first fourty five minutes. It was goalless at the break with both keepers making good saves to keep a first half clean sheet with Mbappe's first half goal chopped off by Video Assistant Referee for offside.

The second half took a dramatic turn with Lewandowski hitting the back of the net at the 54th minute mark and doing the double just two minutes later. Madristas were left in the awe as the aways team boost the moral of the men in strong boots with Yamal netting the third goal and his first El Classico goal.

Almost at the death of the allotted time, at the 84th minutes, Raphina with the captain arm band made the score line 4 nil against Real Madrid who were finding it hard to go past the walls set up by Inaki Pena - second choice goal keeper after the absence of Ter Stegen due to injury.

It was magical for the Culers as most were left in awe with some confused and flabbergasted by the Barcelona young teams doing serious damage to the Real Madrid ego in such a shameful fashion.

It ended 4 goals to nil in favour of the visiting team at the Real Madrid Playground, Santiago Bernabeu.

Images were google sourced, I do not have rights to them!