Ballon d’Or winner leaked hours to announcement

Spanish newspaper Marca has stirred excitement with an alleged ‘leak’ naming Real Madrid‘s Vinicius Junior as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, marking a potential historic achievement for the 24-year-old Brazilian.

After a season packed with stellar performances and a promising start to the current campaign, Vinicius is tipped to clinch the Golden Ball with a stunning 630 points.

The list, reportedly showing the top 12 vote-getters, sees Manchester City’s Rodri closely trailing with 576 points and Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham rounding out the top three.

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This suggests a shift towards midfield brilliance, with Rodri and Bellingham celebrated for their pivotal roles in Manchester City and Real Madrid’s recent successes. Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Erling Haaland add firepower to the ranks, although none appear to threaten Vinicius’ front-runner status.

Perhaps most intriguing is the arrival of young talents like Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who, at just 17, makes his debut on the list, showcasing the emergence of a new generation.

The ‘leak,’ though unconfirmed, points to a thrilling Ballon d’Or shake-up, with Vinicius ready to make history and Real Madrid fans eagerly awaiting what could be a memorable night in Paris.

It appears there is some credence to the leak as in Saturday’s El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior could be heard making a jest of the Barca players with his dig mentioning the Ballon d’Or.

Here is that list in full:

Vinicius Junior (Brazil, Real Madrid) – 630 points

Rodri (Spain, Man City) – 576 points

Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid) – 422 points

Kylian Mbappe (France, Real Madrid) – 317 points

Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich) – 201 points

Erling Haaland (Norway, Man City) – 195 points

Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona) – 128 points

Phil Foden (England, Man City) – 29 points

Dani Olmo (Spain, Barcelona) – 25 points

Florian Wirtz (Germany, Bayer Leverkusen) – 24 points

Dani Carvajal (Spain, Real Madrid) – 17 points

Antonio Rudiger (Germany, Real Madrid) – points total unknown