LEAKED BALLON D’OR WINNER LIST CAUSES CONTROVERSY

The winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or award is Spanish footballer Rodri. Turkish national footballer Hakan Calhanoglu, who plays for Inter in Italy, ranked 20th.

Rodri, who plays for Manchester City, won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, given annually to the best footballer of the year. The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, organized by UEFA and the French football magazine France Football, took place at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris, France.

Rodri, who helped Spain win the 2024 European Championship and led Manchester City to the English Premier League title, received the Ballon d’Or trophy. The award was presented by George Weah, the former Liberian footballer and the 1995 Ballon d’Or winner.

This marks the first time in 64 years that a Spanish player has won this award.

APPEARED WITH CRUTCHES

The 28-year-old footballer, who tore his cruciate ligaments in a match against Arsenal in September, appeared on stage with crutches after his name was announced.

In the voting, Real Madrid’s Brazilian footballer Vinicius Junior finished second, and English player Jude Bellingham took third place. The award for the best female footballer went to Aitana Bonmati, star of the Spanish national team and Barcelona, for the second consecutive year. Hakan Calhanoglu, a national player, was among the 30 nominees for the award given by France Football magazine since 1956. Hakan Calhanoglu ranked 20th in the player of the year voting.

ARDA GULER SECOND AMONG BEST YOUNG PLAYERS
National player Arda Guler, who plays for Real Madrid, ranked second for the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best player under 21 for the season. Barcelona’s Spanish forward Lamine Yamal won the trophy. The Gerd Muller Trophy for the forward of the year was shared by Real Madrid’s French player Kylian Mbappe, who played for PSG last year, and English player Harry Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich. The Lev Yashin award for the best goalkeeper was won by Aston Villa’s Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

COACH OF THE YEAR ANCELOTTI
Real Madrid’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti was awarded the male coach of the year. English coach Emma Hayes, who manages the US national team, won the female coach of the year award. The club of the year award went to Real Madrid for men and Barcelona for women. The Socrates award was given to Spanish female footballer Jennifer Hermoso.

ARDA GULER SUPPORTS VINICIUS
Real Madrid’s management boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony due to the lack of the award for Brazilian player Vinicius Junior, and players showed their support through social media posts. Arda Guler shared a photo of himself with Vinicius Junior to show his support.

LEAKED LIST CAUSED A CRISIS: REAL MADRID BOYCOTTED
Spain’s Real Madrid Club boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony organized by France Football magazine, known as the most prestigious awards in European football. Reports from the Spanish press based on Real Madrid Club sources stated that the club did not attend the 2024 award ceremony in Paris after learning that Brazilian player Vinicius Junior would not receive the “best player” award.