On Monday (today), the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or will finally be announced.

For the first time in its history, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo appeared on the list of 30 finalists.

Messi (eight) and Ronaldo (five) have both won the award 13 times in 16 years.

Instead, this time around there will be new contenders. Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Rodri (Manchester City), Kylian Mbappe (PSG/Real Madrid) and Erling Halaand (Manchester City) are fighting for the prize.

Before the ceremony which will take place this evening at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, DAILY POST looks back at the actors likely to appear in the leading trio.

Vinicius Junior: The 24-year-old, who inherited Ronaldo’s No. 7 jersey at Real Madrid, is the big favorite to succeed Messi. This follows an impressive season in which he won the La Liga and Champions League titles with Los Blancos. Vinicius scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists and will become the next Brazilian to win the award since Kaka.

Rodri: There have been many calls for the Manchester City midfielder to win the Ballon d’Or this year. But the Spaniard, who won the Premier League title and Euro 2024, will likely finish second behind Vinicius Jr. It would be a tough task for Rodri, considered the best at his position and who has become an influential member of the squad by Pep Guardiola. .

Bellingham: The England midfielder appears to be the player to make the top three, ahead of his Real teammates Dani Carvajal and Kylian Mbappe. Bellingham enjoyed a successful debut season with the La Liga champions and played in the Euro 2024 final with the Three Lions. Although he is yet to score a single goal this season, the 21-year-old has done enough to be a finalist for the award.