Ballon d’Or: how many Brazilians have won football’s top prize? Will Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior win in 2024?

Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior is likely to receive football’s biggest individual prize, the Ballon d’Or, at a ceremony next week.

The Ballon d’Or, widely regarded as sport’s most prestigious award, has been awarded by journalists around the world since 1956, and this year’s gong is scheduled to be presented on Monday 28 October.

The selection criteria were only expanded in 1995 to allow any European footballer, regardless of nationality, to have a chance to win. In 2007 it became the global award it remains today. Previously, it was intended exclusively for European football players.

The change has led to wins for some of South America’s top teams, with Vinicius emerging as the clear favorite for 2024 following his performances last season for Real Madrid and Brazil.

Only Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri is likely to stand in his way, although several English players, including Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, are also on the 30-player shortlist.

Since 2008, Lionel Messi (eight) and Cristiano Ronaldo (five) have won all but two titles, while Vincius’ Real Madrid teammates Luka Modric and Karim Benzema have been the only ones to get their hands on the trophy and prize since then. canceled due to the pandemic in 2020.

All four of those players – the only current former winners – are excluded from this year’s shortlist, meaning a first-time winner is guaranteed. But how many previous winners have come from Brazil and how likely is Vinicius to join them?

For a country with such a rich football history, Brazil has a surprisingly low number of Ballon d’Or wins. The country has five wins to its name, the same number of World Cup wins in its name, although they have only been eligible since 1995 – and only since 2007 if they plied their trade outside Europe. This means that Pelé never competed in his prime.

This puts the country level with England (who won the inaugural tournament thanks to Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews) and Italy with five wins each (although some of these came from the same players). Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands and France have seven in total, while Argentina has a record eight, although all eight were won by the same person.

Since the rules changed, Brazil have enjoyed a string of victories, with Ronaldo winning in 1997 and 2002, building on Rivaldo’s 1999 triumph. Ronaldinho became the country’s third winner of the prestigious trophy in 2005, while Brazil’s last winner was Ricardo Kaká in 2005. 2007.

They could soon be joined by a sixth Brazilian in the annals of football history, with Vinicius the strong favorite to win the award this year.

The 24-year-old has had an inspired 2023/24 season, leading Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double, scoring in the Champions League final (a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund) and being named the tournament’s best player.

Last season he scored 26 goals and provided 12 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions.

“It’s not about tonight… it’s about what he did last season. Today’s hat-trick could help him in the fight for the next Ballon d’Or!