The 2024 Ballon d'Or saw Rodri of Manchester City crowned as the winner, narrowly defeating Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior by just 41 points. Rodri secured a total of 1,170 points, while Vinicius garnered 1,129 points. Jude Bellingham, also from Real Madrid, finished third with 917 points. The voting process involved 100 journalists from countries ranked in FIFA's top 100, each ranking ten players based on their performances, with points awarded accordingly. Kylian Mbappé, the top French player, placed sixth with 420 points, while William Saliba finished 24th with eight points.
The voting breakdown revealed interesting trends, with Rodri receiving first-place votes from 49 journalists, while Vinicius was favored by 35. Notably, the French journalist Vincent Garcia voted for Vinicius as his top choice, placing Rodri second. The results highlighted the significant impact of regional preferences, as seen in the votes from Nigerian and Trinidadian journalists who ranked players from their own countries high in their lists.
