Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the prestigious Ballon d'Or throughout history, with the former winning the trophy on eight previous occasions, while the latter has been handed the award five times.
Neither player has been nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or, though, and it does appear that either Vinicius Junior or Rodri will be crowned as the latest winner of the trophy at the famous ceremony on October 28.
Vinicius' success at Real Madrid during the 2023-24 competition, which ended in a La Liga and Champions League double, has seen him placed as the favourite, but Rodri's form for Manchester City, and his Euro 2024 triumph with Spain, has made him a serious contender.
Who won the 2023 Ballon d'Or?
Messi won the 2023 Ballon d'Or, with the Argentine securing the award for a record eighth time.
The forward became the first MLS-based player to be handed the trophy, finishing ahead of Erling Haaland, who had enjoyed a quite stunning first season with Man City, helping them to win the Champions League.
Messi's form for Argentina at the 2022 World Cup played a leading role in him winning the 2023 Ballon d'Or, having scored seven times and registered three assists in the finals of the competition, including a brace against France in the final.
Last year, Messi became the only player in history to win the award with three different clubs - Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami - and it remains to be seen whether his record of eight trophies is ever beaten.
2023 Ballon d'Or winners list
Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi
Ballon d'Or Feminin Aitana Bonmati
Kopa Trophy: Jude Bellingham
Yashin Trophy: Emiliano Martinez
Gerd Muller Trophy: Erling Haaland
Socrates Award: Vinicius Junior
Men's Club of the Year: Manchester City
Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona Women
All previous Ballon d'Or winners year-by-year
1956: Stanley Matthews
1957: Alfredo Di Stefano
1958: Raymond Kopa
1959: Alfredo Di Stefano
1960: Luis Suarez
1961: Omar Sivori
1962: Josef Masopust
1963 Lev Yashin
1964: Denis Law
1965: Eusebio
1966: Bobby Charlton
1967: Florian Albert
1968: George Best
1969: Gianni Rivera
1970: Gerd Muller
1971: Johan Cruyff
1972: Franz Beckenbauer
1973: Johan Cruyff
1974: Johan Cruyff
1975: Oleh Blokhin
1976: Franz Beckenbauer
1977: Allan Simonsen
1978: Kevin Keegan
1979: Kevin Keegan
1980:Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
1982: Paolo Rossi
1983: Michel Platini
1984: Michel Platini
1985: Michel Platini
1986: Igor Belanov
1987: Ruud Gullit
1988: Marco van Basten
1989: Marco van Basten
1990: Lothar Matthaus
1991: Jean-Pierre Papin
1992: Marco van Basten
1993: Roberto Baggio
1994: Hristo Stoichkov
1995: George Weah
1996: Matthias Sammer
1997: Ronaldo
1998: Zinedine Zidane
1999: Rivaldo
2000: Luis Figo
2001: Michael Owen
2002: Ronaldo
2003: Pavel Nedved
2004: Andriy Shevchenko
2005: Ronaldinho
2006: Fabio Cannavaro
2007: Kaka
2008: Cristiano Ronaldo
2009: Lionel Messi
2010: Lionel Messi
2011: Lionel Messi
2012: Lionel Messi
2013: Cristiano Ronaldo
2014: Cristiano Ronaldo
2015: Lionel Messi
2016: Cristiano Ronaldo
2017: Cristiano Ronaldo
2018: Luka Modric
2019: Lionel Messi
2020: Cancelled
2021: Lionel Messi
2022: Karim Benzema
2023: Lionel Messi
