On the 4th of September, 2024, the nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or were announced. There were several interesting things to note about who did – and did not – make the shortlist. The key players to miss out on making the 30-player list were Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi: this was the first time since all the way back in 2003 that neither player had made the grade.
Neither of their omissions was particularly shocking, although the fact that Messi won it last year makes it more unusual. One player who many experts were surprised to see fail to make the final 30 was Brazil and Real Madrid ace, Rodrygo. The 23-year-old himself took to social media almost instantly after the announcement to not-so-subtly express his surprise, before telling ESPN that he was “upset” and “think I deserved it (nomination)”.
However, our focus here is not who didn’t make it to the 30-man shortlist, but rather players that did. More specifically, the six England footballers still in the running for glory. The winner, and with no still-active former winners among the 30 contenders, we know it will be a new name to take glory, will be announced on the 28th of October in Paris. With 20% of the possible victors English, there is a decent chance that one of the Three Lions may be honoured, but who are the six players in with a shout?
Jude Bellingham
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Bellingham was the favourite for the Ballon d’Or for some time due to his simply outstanding start to life in a Real Madrid shirt. He was scoring goals for fun, creating plenty and also getting several important goals. He still had an excellent campaign in 2023/24, the season which is being recognised here, but his form dropped off in the second half of the season.
Of course, the former Birmingham player still ended with La Liga and Champions League trophy to his name. But whilst he still played well for his club, there was a clear drop in end product and performance levels. On top of that, whilst England made the final of Euro 2024, and he scored one of the tournament’s most memorable goals – and yet another crucial strike too, when his team needed him – he was a little below par. He remains the third favourite but at 20/1 (though as short as 11/2 with some firms), he trails the bookies’ fancy, Vini Junior (at just 4/9) by a huge distance.
Phil Foden
Foden, like everyone outside the top two in the betting (the aforementioned Vini Jr, and 2/1 shot Rodri), has very little chance of winning the Ballon d’Or in 2024. If the bookmakers have got their odds right that is. We have seen surprises before but Foden is ranked a 150/1 shot by some bookmakers and we really can’t see it. Like Bellingham, he was poor at the Euros, but he was superb for his club for pretty much all of 2023/24.
The Manchester City man, one of four from his club among the 30, along with Rodri, Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias, scored 27 goals for his team, including 19 in the Premier League. Those were both personal bests and he provided numerous assists too, leading to him being named the Premier League, Man City, FWA and PFA Players’ Player of the Year. That’s a serious haul of individual honours but it seems that, for now at least, Foden will have to wait for the Ballon d’Or.
Harry Kane
It is safe to say that 2023/24 was a funny old year for England captain and cap-centurion, Harry Kane. At club level, he was derided for his failure to win any silverware, despite the fact that he scored 46 goals in 48 games in his first season in a new country. At international level, he was widely questioned and criticised, with many stating that he should be dropped, and despite this he scored 13 goals for England in 19 games during 2023 and 2024.
Those stats are across both calendar years and not the relevant judging period for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. However, it was his performances at Euro 2024 that attracted the most opprobrium, and yet he was joint top scorer at that tournament, to go with his 2023/24 European Golden Shoe and 2018 World Cup Golden Boot. Kane clearly still has it and whilst he will almost certainly win silverware in 2024/25, the odds of that including the Ballon d’Or are a weighty 150/1.
Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer was arguably the breakout star of English football in 2023/24 and can consider himself unlucky not to have won more in terms of individual honours and minutes on the pitch for the Three Lions at Euro 2024. Palmer scored 25 goals in 45 games for a struggling Chelsea and also added 17 assists in the Premier League alone.
He was brilliant for club and – when allowed – country, and was named Premier League Young Player of the Season. He will be central to England’s and Chelsea’s chances of achieving success in the years ahead, but odds of 250/1 tell you all you need to know about his chances of claiming glory in Paris in October.
Declan Rice
Rice had a superb season for Arsenal and played a huge role in them being able to push City all the way in the PL title race in 2023/24. Like Palmer, he is a 250/1 shot for Ballon d’Or glory and even at that price we would not even be remotely interested.
Good player though Rice is, it is unusual for a more defensively-minded player to win. Moreover, it is also very rare that a footballer who did not lift silverware with either club or country takes the honours. Rice, like all the England players on this list bar Kane, has his best years ahead of him though, and maybe if he captains the Gunners to glory in the future, a Ballon d’Or win could be his.
Bukayo Saka
Saka is as likeable a footballer as you could find but sadly they don’t hand out the Ballon d’Or for being polite and having a winning smile. Saka had yet another great season with Arsenal and continued his upward trajectory in terms of output. 20 goals last season was five more than his return in 2022/23, eight more than the year before that and 13 better than 12 months prior to that.
He has delivered the goods for his country too and scored a simply stunning goal at Euro 2024. He now boasts 12 goals in 41 games for the Three Lions and his pace, width, trickery and end product are key for both club and country. Once more, however, as a 250/1 shot, an AI image generator is probably the only way you will get to see him holding the Ballon d’Or trophy any time soon.