The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award given annually to the best male footballer in the world. A panel of international journalists chooses the winner. However, a recent update has allowed coaches and captain of national teams to cast their votes, too. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two most decorated winners of the award, dominating it for over a decade. Messi won the award in 2009, while Ronaldo claimed his first in 2008. Between 2008 and 2023, they won the award 13 times, with only Luka Modric and Benzema breaking their streak during this period.

Now that both players have moved on from European football, their chances of winning the Ballon d’Or have diminished. This transition has opened the door for a new generation of footballers to chase the prestigious award. The 2024 Ballon d’Or nomination has some exciting names. While everyone has an eye out for talents like Mbappe and Haaland, their exit from the Champions League has further plummeted their chances of winning the award. This year has nominees like Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and a lot of others. Let’s see the Ballon d’Or 2024 odds to see who remains the clear favourite to win the award.

Vinicius Jr has been an outstanding player for Real Madrid for a couple of seasons now. The Brazilian has had a tough time in Spain in terms of batting racial abuse and constant attitude criticism. However, it feels right that he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves for his performances.

He scored 15 goals and 5 assists in 26 matches for Real Madrid in La Liga this season. In the Champions League, he’s scored 5 goals and provided 4 assists to take his tally to 29 goals and assists for Real Madrid in both competitions. His Ballon d’Or winner odds currently stand at 2/5, which indicates that he’s currently the clear favourite to win it. Should he drop another masterclass in the final come June 1, there is no doubt he would’ve cemented his winner spot.

Photo by All-Pro Reels / CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from original

Jude Bellingham Ballon d’Or odds currently sit at 3/1. This year’s Ballon dor odds seem to favour him after Vinicius Jr as a result of his outstanding debut season with Real Madrid. Jude Bellingham moved to Madrid in the summer of 2023. The 20-year-old has since netted 23 goals in 41 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions.

While he hasn’t had an outstanding Champions League performance when compared to his sensational 19 goals and 6 assists in La Liga, there is no doubt should Real Madrid win the 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League with his perfect individual, he will emerge as clear favourite to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

Photo by Barcex / CC BY 4.0 / Cropped from original

Toni Kroos’ 2024 Ballon d’Or odds indicate that he isn’t to be entirely written off. He currently sits third behind his Real Madrid teammates—Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham. While he’s behind in terms of goals and assists, having recorded just one goal and eleven assists, the 34-year-old midfielder has his chances raised after his masterclass performance against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final.

As he’s set to hang his boots after the 2024 Euro competition, there is no doubt that winning the prestigious individual award will be the perfect send-off for him.

Photo by Антон Зайцев / CC BY 3.0 / Cropped from original

Many people anticipated Harry Kane’s transfer to Bayern Munich to help put an end to his trophyless career finally. Unfortunately, things didn’t go reasonably as well as many expected. The Bavarians ended the season without a trophy for the first time in many seasons after losing the Bundesliga to Bayer Leverkusen and crashing out of the Champions League after their defeat to Real Madrid.

Despite scoring 48 goals and recording 14 assists in the 2023/24 season, Bayern’s inability to win a trophy this season has Harry Kane’s ballon dor winner odds at 20/1. His only redemption might be the Euro 2024. Finishing as Euro 2024 top goalscorer might further increase his chances of winning the highly coveted prize.

Photo by Кирилл Венедиктов / CC BY 3.0 / Cropped from original

Having ended the 2023/24 season, it’s clear that Kylian Mbappe has played his last match for PSG. His transfer to Real Madrid is expected to be confirmed sooner than later. While the Champions League was PSG’s primary target this season, their elimination in the hands of Dortmund has left Mbappe behind Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham despite scoring 50 goals, recording 17 assists, winning Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions.

With 2024 Euro around the corner, the French international would hope to have a decent completion both individually and collectively with France to stand a chance of having the ballon d’or odds in his favour.

Photo by Sandro Halank / CC BY 4.0 / Cropped from original

Phil Foden's 2023/24 fantastic campaign with Manchester City hasn’t gone unnoticed. The 24-year-old record recorded 28 goals and 12 assists in all competitions with Manchester City. He also won the Premier League, Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup. These achievements have earned him a spot in this year’s Ballon d’Or nomination.

While he isn’t the clear favourite to win it, no one can tell should the talented England international have an excellent 2024 Euro campaign with England.

BREAKING: Phil Foden is your Premier League Player of the Season! e???a?¨ pic.twitter.com/WwqtXhSL5h

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 18, 2024

Rodri’s importance to Manchester City cannot be overemphasized. He’s the only Manchester player who never tasted a defeat inside 90 minutes in over a year until their loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup final. The midfield maestro recorded 11 goals and 15 assists in the 2023/24 season for Manchester City. He also won the Premier League, Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup.

His ballon d’or odds of 33/1 suggest he might have a tough time clinching the award. However, things could change in the forthcoming Euro 2024.

Rodri: a€?Quality and age profile at Man City means we have a team for the next ten years.a€?

Cracking exclusive interview as the elite midfielder sits down with @johncrossmirror https://t.co/521qwEiikypic.twitter.com/U51ikktydi

— Darren Lewis (@MirrorDarren) February 9, 2024

Erling Haaland’s hope of winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or seems to be over after Manchester City’s exit from the Champions League in the quarter-final and Norway failing to qualify for Euro 2024. While he’s had a decent season in terms of goals with 41 goals and 6 assists in all competition, it’s yet to be seen whether he would even make the top 3 of this year’s Ballon d’Or.

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— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) June 3, 2024

Florian Wirtz has had a remarkable season with Bayer Leverkusen after helping his team go unbeaten in the Bundesliga to win their first-ever Bundesliga title. Unfortunately, their remarkable season took a turn after losing the Europa League final to Atlanta and ending their 51 games unbeaten run.

Individually, Florian Wirtz recorded 19 goals and 21 assists in the 2023/24 season. While this has been enough to earn him a spot in this year’s Ballon d’Or nomination, it’s yet to be seen if it’s sufficient to help me win the prestigious award.

e???e??a Florian Wirtz on his future: "What happens next season? Everyone knows my contract. Now is not the time to talk about that".

"I'm definitely having a great time in Leverkusen and I feel good. My mind is 100% focused on the Euros", told SkyDE. pic.twitter.com/GfpnwGUqMQ

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 5, 2024

Lionel Messi’s name somehow always finds itself among the nominees. Well, this isn’t a result of luck but hard work and a high amount of dedication to the game. Messi won the 2023 Ballon d’Or as the first player to play outside of Europe. This season, he’s been fantastic for his club, Inter Miami.

So far, he’s won the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami and currently has 23 goals and 15 assists in all competitions in the 2023/24 season. With the Copa America set to begin on the 20th of June 2024, everyone will have their eyes on Messi and Argentina. Should they go on to win the competition, we might see Messi winning his 9th Ballon d’Or award.

Photo by Hossein Zohrevand / CC BY 4.0 / Cropped from original

The Ballon d’Or is usually awarded at the end of each year, typically between October, November, and December. The 2024 Ballon d’Or gala is set to take place on Monday, October 28, 2024, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. The ceremony will begin at precisely 2pm ET.

The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award that has been in existence since 1956, recognizing the best player in the world. With Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham among the favourites to win the award based on the ballon d’or betting odds from the best new betting sites, we cannot wholly write off others on the list should they have an outstanding international campaign in the forthcoming Euro 2024 and Copa America.

You can stay updated with the latest football news from MightTips to get all the action of Euro 24 and the latest Ballon d’Or odds as they unfold.