The eyes of the footballing world are on Paris on Monday for the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards, with plenty of Premier League interest once again.
The ceremony marks the 68th edition of the prestigious awards, which are held annually in the French capital.
Ten Premier League players are up for the accolade, with four clubs having at least one player up for the prize following the publication of the 30-man shortlist earlier this year. They were nominated due to their performances last season, both at club and at international level.
What is the Ballon d'Or?
The Ballon d'Or awards honour the year's best players, coaches and clubs in recognition of their outstanding achievements.
It has been presented annually by French magazine France Football since 1956 and also celebrates the top scorer, goalkeeper, young player and humanitarian.
Which players were nominated and how were they ranked?
The 30 players were ranked as follows:
1. Rodri (Man City)
2. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
3. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
4. Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
5. Erling Haaland (Man City)
6. Kylian Mbappe (PSG/Real Madrid)
7. Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
8. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
9. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
10. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
11. Phil Foden (Man City)
12. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
13. Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig / FC Barcelona)
14. Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
15. Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao )
16. Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)
17. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
18. Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
19. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
20. Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter)
21. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
22. Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
23. Ruben Dias (Man City)
24. William Saliba (Arsenal)
25. Cole Palmer (Man City/Chelsea)
26. Declan Rice (Arsenal)
27. Vitinha (PSG)
28. Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)
29=. Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund); Artem Dovbyk (SK Dnipro-1/Girona/AS Roma)
When does it take place?
The event takes place at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday 28 October.
The evening gets under way at 19:45 GMT and will be broadcast live on L’Equipe’s YouTube channel and website.
Who decides the winner?
The shortlists are revealed almost two months before the event. Voting is then carried out by 100 journalists, with one selected from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men's rankings.
They are tasked with picking their top 10 players from the 30-man shortlist. The 10 players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player with the highest number of points.
The judges are asked to consider three areas: Individual performance, decisiveness and impressiveness, their collective performance and track record as well as fair play.
Premier League stars nominated
Arsenal and Manchester City lead the way with four nominees each.
Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Bukayo Saka from the Gunners, with City's Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and Rodri's achievements recognised for club and country.
Every @premierleague goal from Rodri's immense 2023/24 season! 🎯⭐️ pic.twitter.com/ir8g9tRVRd
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 28, 2024
Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer is also on the shortlist, along with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
In total, 10 Premier League players are nominated for the prize.
Other players, coaches and clubs up for awards
Premier League champions Man City are also in line for the Club of the Year. Borussia Dortmund, Girona, Bayer Leverkusen and European champions Real Madrid are the other contenders.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola has been nominated for the Men's Coach of the Year Trophy.
Villa and Argentina 'keeper Martinez is also shortlisted for the prestigious Yashin Trophy, which he won in 2023.
Manchester United pair Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, along with Man City winger Savinho, are nominated for the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best player under the age of 21. The prize was won by current Man Utd defender Matthijs de Ligt in 2019 while he was playing for Juventus.
The favourite to win it
This is the first time in more than 20 years that eight-time winner Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five Ballon d'Or trophies to his name, have not been nominated.
Real Madrid's Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr is the frontrunner to win on Monday.
The 24-year-old scored 24 times and contributed 11 assists in all competitions last season as Madrid won LaLiga before securing a record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League title at Wembley Stadium in June.
Which Premier League stars have won in the past?
Only two players have previously won the Ballon d'Or for a period when they were at a Premier League club.
Ronaldo was the last when he was playing for Man Utd in 2008.
Liverpool striker Michael Owen won the award in 2001, the last British player to triumph.
All the awards
The Ballon d'Or - best male player
The Ballon d'Or Feminin - best female player
The Yashin Trophy - best male goalkeeper
The Kopa Trophy - best male player under the age of 21
The Gerd Muller Trophy - best male striker
The Socrates Award - awarded to one player for their humanitarian work
Men's Club of the Year
Women's Club of the Year
Men's Coach of the Year
Women's Coach of the Year
