The 2024 Ballon d’Or gala celebrated Spanish football’s dominance, with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal winning the Kopa Trophy as the top Under-21 player. Rodri, also from Spain, earned the prestigious Ballon d’Or, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati retained her Ballon d’Or Feminin title.
Though Spain’s national coach Luis de la Fuente surprisingly missed out on the coaching award, Real Madrid and Barcelona claimed club honors.
Yamal’s Kopa Trophy win caps off a remarkable year, where he made waves at Euro 2024, scoring an equalizing strike against France in the semi-finals and adding four assists as Spain clinched the title. At 17, he’s already a regular contributor to Barcelona, finishing eighth in the senior Ballon d’Or ranking.
The Men’s Coach of the Year award went to Carlo Ancelotti, while Chelsea’s Emma Hayes won Women’s Coach of the Year after leading Chelsea to a fifth Women’s Super League title. Both honorees were absent, with Ancelotti’s Real Madrid team boycotting the event after reports emerged that Vinicius Junior wouldn’t win the Ballon d’Or.
Real Madrid and Barcelona were recognized as the top men’s and women’s clubs, respectively, while Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe shared the Gerd Muller Trophy with 52 goals each. Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin Trophy as the best goalkeeper for a second consecutive year, recognized for his decisive contributions for Aston Villa and Argentina.
2024 Ballon d’Or Award Winners:
- Ballon d’Or: Rodri
- Ballon d’Or Feminin: Aitana Bonmati
- Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal
- Men’s Coach of the Year: Carlo Ancelotti
- Women’s Coach of the Year: Emma Hayes
- Yashin Trophy: Emiliano Martinez
- Men’s Club of the Year: Real Madrid
- Women’s Club of the Year: Barcelona
- Gerd Muller Trophy: Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe
- Credit Photo : L’Équipe
