A recent poll shows that Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior was Africa’s preferred choice for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, highlighting his popularity and impact among African football fans.
According to poll results for the 2024 Ballon d’Or event published by France Football, Vinicius Junior, the Real Madrid and Brazil star, emerged as Africa’s favorite candidate to win.
Last month, Spanish midfielder Rodri was named the world’s best male footballer at a star-studded ceremony in Paris, which Real Madrid chose not to attend.
Vinicius Junior finished in second place.
However, in Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Egypt, Senegal and other countries the voters opted for the Real Madrid player. Only Gabon Ghana and South Africa cast their votes for Rodri.
Out of the 22 African journalists who cast their votes, 12 ranked Vinicius as their top choice.
The Ballon d’Or winner is chosen by 100 journalists representing FIFA’s top 100 ranked member nations. Each journalist selects their top five choices from a shortlist of 30 candidates.
The Ballon d’Or is primarily organized by France Football, a French publication dedicated to soccer.
The rankings for the 2024 Ballon d’Or
1. Rodri, representing Spain and playing for Manchester City
2. Vinicius Jr., representing Brazil and playing for Real Madrid
3. Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid)
4. Dani Carvajal (Spain, Real Madrid)
5. Erling Haaland (Norwegian, Manchester City)
6. Kylian Mbappé (France, Paris Saint-Germain)
7. Lautaro Martinez (Argentina, playing for Inter Milan)
8. Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona, Spain)
9. Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid)
10. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England)
11. Phil Foden (England, Manchester City player)
12. Florian Wirtz (Germany, Bayer Leverkusen)
13. Dani Olmo (Spain, RB Leipzig) -> 13. Dani Olmo from Spain, representing RB Leipzig
14. Ademola Lookman (Nigeria, Atalanta BC)
15. Nico Williams (Spain, Athletic Club)
16. Granit Xhaka (Switzerland, Bayer Leverkusen)
17. Federico Valverde, representing Uruguay and playing for Real Madrid.
18. Emiliano Martinez (Argentina, plays for Aston Villa)
19. Martin Ødegaard (Norway, Arsenal)
20. Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Turkey, Inter Milan)
21. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, England)
22. Antonio Rüdiger (Germany, Real Madrid)
23. Rúben Dias (Portugal, Manchester City)
24. William Saliba (France, Arsenal)
25. Cole Palmer (England, Manchester City/Chelsea)
26. Declan Rice (England, Arsenal FC)
27. Vitinha from Portugal, currently playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
28. Alejandro Grimaldo (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen)
29. Artem Dovbik (Ukraine, SK-Dnipro 1 and Girona)
30. Mats Hummels (Germany, Borussia Dortmund)
