Next Monday, the winner of last season's Ballon d'Or in the world of football will be announced, and Lautaro Martínez, the Argentine striker, is shaping up as one of the main candidates. Martínez, known as 'El Toro', was the Serie A champion with Inter Milan and became the league's top scorer with 24 goals. Additionally, he had an outstanding performance with the Argentine National Team in the Copa América, where he was champion and the top scorer with five goals, including the crucial one in the final against Colombia.
Another Argentine nominated for the Ballon d'Or is goalkeeper Emiliano 'Dibu' Martínez, who had an excellent season with Aston Villa, achieving qualification for the UEFA Champions League after 41 years. Martínez was also a key player in winning the Copa América with the Argentine National Team, conceding only one goal throughout the tournament. The award ceremony will take place in Paris, France, at 4 PM (Argentina time).
Despite the achievements of Lautaro and Emiliano Martínez, the main favorite to win the award is Brazilian Vinicius Jr., who was crowned champion of LaLiga in Spain and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid. Other players with high chances of winning include Norwegian Erling Haaland (Manchester City) and English Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid).
Regarding the all-time winners of the Ballon d'Or, Lionel Messi leads the list with 8 awards (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023), followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with 5 awards (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017). With three Ballon d'Ors are French Michel Platini (1983, 1984, and 1985) and Dutch Marco Van Basten (1988, 1989, and 1992) and Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973, and 1974).
