Ferran Torres Leads Ballon d'Or Shortlist for 2024
Ferran Torres, the man who struck the goal that broke Argentina and delivered the World Cup to Spain in July, now fronts the 30-man shortlist for the men’s Ballon d’Or announced in Paris on Tuesday.
At 26, and freshly installed at Paris Saint-Germain, Torres sits at the heart of a powerful Spanish block on the list. He is one of six members of Spain’s World Cup‑winning squad to be nominated, joining 2024 Ballon d’Or holder Rodri and last year’s runner-up Lamine Yamal.
Torres, PSG and a growing superpower
Torres closed out last season by winning La Liga with Barcelona in May. By September, he was in Paris, linking up with last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele at PSG and immediately swelling the French champions’ already intimidating presence on the list.
Dembele, a France international, is one of nine PSG players nominated who have won the Champions League in each of the last two seasons. With Torres now added to the mix, PSG boast 10 current players in the 30-man field.
Among them, Fabian Ruiz stands alone in one regard: he is the only player on the list to have lifted both the Champions League and the World Cup in 2026.
PSG’s European dominance is written all over the nominations. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the electrifying Georgian winger, was one of the standout performers in their successful Champions League defence. Alongside him, Portuguese midfielders Vitinha and Joao Neves also make the cut after driving that campaign from the centre of the pitch.
Messi in again, Ronaldo out
The Ballon d’Or storylines never stray too far from Lionel Messi. The eight-time winner has been nominated for a 17th time, extending an era that has defined the award.
His long-time rival does not join him this year. Cristiano Ronaldo misses out on the shortlist, a stark marker of how the landscape has shifted.
Messi still shaped the biggest stage. He helped drag an ill-disciplined Argentina all the way to the World Cup final, even as they laboured badly against Spain. Argentina went close to 120 minutes before registering a shot in a one-sided showpiece that ended with Torres and Spain on top.
The World Cup continues to frame much of the men’s list. England captain Harry Kane is there after winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich. So too is his French club team-mate Michael Olise, whose wing play lit up the German champions’ season.
Jude Bellingham’s name was inevitable. The Real Madrid midfielder powered through the World Cup for England, scoring seven goals. That tally matched Erling Haaland’s and trailed only Messi, with eight, and Kylian Mbappe, who hit 10.
Mbappe’s nomination comes with history attached. He became the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice and surged to the top of the tournament’s all-time scoring charts.
Yamal, already part of the senior men’s list, is also nominated again for the Young Talent award, which he has claimed in each of the past two years.
There is room for fairytale too. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who became one of the heroes of Cape Verde’s remarkable World Cup run, earns a place among the goalkeeping nominees.
Three of the men’s nominees are currently playing outside Europe: Messi with Inter Miami in MLS, Sadio Mane in Saudi Arabia, and Julian Quinones, also based in Saudi Arabia.
Putellas returns, Bonmati misses out
The women’s Ballon d’Or list carries its own drama. Aitana Bonmati, a three-time winner and the dominant force of recent years, does not feature after breaking her leg midway through the season. The injury cut short a campaign that had seemed destined to keep her at the top of the game.
Her former Barcelona team-mate Alexia Putellas is back in the frame. The 2021 and 2022 winner, now with London City Lionesses, makes the shortlist and leads a strong Barcelona imprint on the women’s side.
Barcelona’s European success underpins much of the women’s field. Putellas is one of seven players who won the Women’s Champions League with the club in May to be nominated. Among them is Poland striker Ewa Pajor, who scored twice in the 4-0 demolition of Lyon in the final.
The women’s award reaches far beyond Europe’s traditional power centres. Zambian forward Barbra Banda, starring for Orlando Pride in South Africa, is included. So is Mexican attacker Scarlett Camberos, playing in her home country, and the Malawian forward Temwa Chawinga. American midfielder Rose Lavelle, now in the NWSL, also takes her place on the list.
The global spread is clear. The competition looks wide open. And on October 26, under the lights of the London Palladium Theatre, football’s biggest individual prizes will find their next owners.
