Just hours to the 2024 Ballon d’Or, it is almost certain that initial favourite, Vinicius Jr, the Brazilian star of the Real Madrid will not be the winner.

Consequently, he along with his club members will not be attending the event tonight in Paris.

The pendulum swings mostly in Manchester City’s Rodri’s favour.  

South Africa’s number one goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams has added to his growing list of achievements after it was announced on Wednesday, 04 September that the acrobatic shot-stopper has historically made the list of Goalkeeper of the Year nominees for world football’s most prestigious individual trophy, the Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy.

Not only is this a first for Africa, but the Bafana Bafana skipper makes continental history as the first ever footballer playing in Africa to be nominated for the award.

As the only African based keeper, Williams made the list of 10 best shot-stoppers in the world which include current holder, Emiliano Martez (Argentina), Unai Simon (Spain) as well as Diogo Costa (Portugal) amongst others.

To date, African football icon George Weah remains the only African to be voted the best player in the world after winning the Ballon d’Or in 1995 ahead of Germany’s Jurgen Klinsmann and Finland’s Jari Litman.

Weah was also the first non-European to win the award.  

Williams (32) has been on a meteoric rise since joining former African champions Mamelodi Sundowns from cross-town rivals and boyhood club, SuperSport United in July 2022.  

The Bafana Bafana skipper was a pivotal cog in Mamelodi Sundowns’ back-to-back titles since joining the club. A feat that elevated his place in the national team to being the number one goalkeeper.

The Gqeberha-born goalkeeper literally grabbed the challenge of being Hugo Broos’ trusted keeper with both hands, putting up undoubtedly one of the standout performances at the  CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023, where he denied Cape Verde four times in a quarter-final penalty shootout.

Williams’ acrobatic and penalty saves also came to the fore in the third-place play-off against DR Congo where he saved two penalties to help his nation to a podium finish that was accompanied by him being voted the Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the continental showpiece.  

The Sundowns keeper, who is currently out nursing a shoulder injury was also instrumental in Sundowns’ African Football League (AFL) triumph, playing a crucial role as the last line of defence in helping his side to their second continental trophy after their 2016 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League success.

The Ballon d’Or awards ceremony will take place on Monday, 28 October 2024. 

Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy Nominees:

Diogo Costa (Portugal), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy), Gregor Kobel (Switzerland), Andriy Lunin (Ukraine), Mike Maignan (France), Giorgi Mamarsdashvili (Georgia), Emiliano Martinez (Argentina), Unai Simon (Spain), Yann Sommer (Switzerland), Ronwen Williams (South Africa).

Super Eagles and Atalanta FC forward, Ademola Lookman, is one of the nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or, which fnal ceremony holds next month.

Lookman short into great prominence after his three goals won the Europa Cup for Atalanta last May. He is potentially an African Footballer Award winner for the current season.

He was a silver medal winner with Nigeria at the last AFCON 2023 tournament in Côte d’Ivoire last February. Being the only African on the Ballon d’or shortlist already suggest a possibility of being crowned in Africa.

Others on the ballon d’Or shortlist are Jude Bellingham who had a brilliant season for both club and country in the year under review. 

The Real Madrid superstar, won La Liga and the Champions League before reaching the Euro 2024 final with England, while Lookman’s bragging right stems from his brilliant performance with Atalanta not just in the domestic scene but also his hattrick that saw the Italian side winning the Europa Cup against Bayern Leverkusen last May.

Several Premier League stars have also been included on the 30-man shortlist. They include the Manchester City quartet of Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and Rodri.

Bukayo Saka of Arsenal also made list same as William Saliba, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez is up for both the top award and the goalkeeping gong.

Manchester City have also been nominated for the Men’s club of the Year award after winning a fifth consecutive Premier League crown. They will battle Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Girona, and Bayer Leverkusen for the award.

Lauren James, Lauren Hemp, Lucy Bronze and Khadija Shaw are all included on the shortlist for the women’s award.

Manchester United youngsters Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho have both been nominated for the Kopa Trophy alongside Euro 2024 winner Lamine Yamal.