The 30 nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or are out. From Vinicius Jr. to Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal, the Los Blancos have a total of 6 active players among the nominees; seven if one is to include Toni Kroos. Having already made the difficult decision to hang up his boots, the German sent out a hilarious message to the rest of his teammates as the list went public.
Sharing a picture of the seven players from Madrid who made it to the shortlist, Kroos jokingly told the rest to try winning it next year. Having already retired, this will be the last time the German maestro will find a spot in the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Fans commented that his inclusion is totally deserved after a brilliant season in midfield. From winning the La Liga to claiming the UEFA Champions League title once again, Madrid were simply the best in Europe last year.
Following his retirement, Real have begun missing him dearly. Even though they are yet to find a replacement for the player, reports suggest that the club will look to sign Manchester City man Rodri next season. Real have also had a turbulent start to life in La Liga, dropping points in two of their first four games in the competition.
Real Madrid tops list for most players ever in a Ballon d’Or nominee list
Real Madrid were dominant in their run to claim both the Champions League and La Liga last season. It is safe to say that Carlo Ancelotti‘s men did not depend on any single player to get them through the difficult parts of the season. Ultimately, being a team effort, Madrid have become the team with the most number of nominated players ever for the Ballon d’Or.
With seven nominations, several fans are convinced that a Real Madrid player will list the coveted award this year. To begin with, Vinicius Jr. is the frontrunner to claim the award. His performance up until now goes much beyond numbers and statistics. The Brazilian has proved that he can lead Real Madrid’s attack for years to come. Alongside Vinicius is English prodigy Jude Bellingham who had one of the best debut seasons in recent times.
Dani Carvajal played a part in almost every major trophy won by both Madrid and Spain at the Euros. Federico Valverde, Kroos and new man Kylian Mbappe also had commendable campaigns last year. While Man City midfielder Rodri also stands a significant chance of winning the award, a clear majority on social media prefers the Brazilian.
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