Toni Kroos trolls Real Madrid teammates as France Football reveals 2024 Ballon d'Or nominees

The 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d'Or has been revealed, and to no one's surprise, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Arsenal dominate the nominations.

The two Premier League giants have four representatives each in this list while Los Blancos, the UEFA Champions League holders, boast a whopping seven nominees. This includes Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, regarded by many as the two favorites.

The Brazilian narrowly edged out the English midfielder to finish as Real Madrid's top scorer across all competitions in 2023-24 but the Three Lions sensation outscored the South American attacker in La Liga alone in what was his debut campaign.

Toni Kroos, who sadly retired from football following Euro 2024, also got the nod and was joined by newly-signed Kylian Mbappe, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, and Federico Valverde. This sparked a hilarious joke from the German icon, who took to social media to request his former teammates bow out of the race so he could lift the prestigious award.

Toni Kroos' message to his six former Real Madrid teammates who were also nominated for the Ballon d'Or

(via @ToniKroos) pic.twitter.com/KusX4UthCO

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 4, 2024

Meanwhile, Rodri leads Manchester City's list of nominations, with the Spaniard seen as the likeliest to beat the aforementioned Real Madrid duo. The Spaniard is joined by Etihad Stadium teammates Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, and Ruben Dias, and Arsenal rivals Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and William Saliba.

Also making the list are last season's European Golden Boot winner Harry Kane, Serie A and Copa America champion Lautaro Martinez, Leverkusen ace Granit Xhaka, and Spanish sensations Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.

2024 Men's Ballon d'Or nominees

1. Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway)

2. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England)

3. Phil Foden (Manchester City and England)

4. Ruben Dias (Manchester City and Portugal)

5. Toni Kroos (retired)

6. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid and Uruguay)

7. Nico Williams (Athletic Club and Spain)

8. Artem Dovbyk (Girona/Roma and Ukraine)

9. Granit Xhaka (Leverkusen and Switzerland)

10. Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa and Argentina)

11. Kylian Mbappé (PSG/Real Madrid and France)

12. Lautaro Martinez (Inter and Argentina)

13. Ademola Lookman (Atalanta and Nigeria)

14. Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid and Germany)

15. Alejandro Grimaldo (Leverkusen and Spain)

16. William Saliba (Arsenal and France)

17. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal and England)

18. Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid and Spain)

19. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)

20. Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter and Turkiye)

21. Rodri (Manchester City and Spain)

22. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England)

23. Declan Rice (Arsenal and England)

24. Vitinha (PSG and Portugal)

25. Cole Palmer (Chelsea and England)

26. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal and Norway)

27. Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig/Barcelona and Spain)

28. Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid and Brazil)

29. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen and Germany)

30. Mats Hummels (Dortmund/Roma and Germany)

Speaking of Yamal, the Barcelona wonderkid is the leading candidate for the 2024 Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best player under 21. The Euro 2024 sensation is joined by fellow Blaugrana starlet Pau Cubarsi, Manchester United duo Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, and PSG midfielders Joao Neves and Warren Zaïre-Emery.

2024 Kopa Trophy nominees

1. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)

2. Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United and Argentina)

3. Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona and Spain)

4. Arda Güler (Real Madrid and Türkiye)

5. Karim Konaté (RB Salzburg and the Ivory Coast)

6. Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United and England)

7. Joao Neves (Benfica/PSG and Portugal)

8. Savinho (Girona/Manchester City and Brazil)

9. Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich and France)

10. Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG and France) 

Aitana Bonmati is the leading candidate for the 2024 Ballon d'Or Femenin after winning the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and the quadruple with Barcelona in 2023-24. The Spanish maestro won last season's prize but could face stiff competition from USWNT star Sophia Smith, who enjoyed a stellar campaign with Portland Thorns last season and played a crucial role in the Stars and Stripes' Olympic gold medal victory.

2024 Ballon d'Or Femenin nominees

1. Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona and Spain)

2. Lucy Bronze (Barcelona/Chelsea and Spain)

3. Lauren James (Chelsea and England)

4. Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride and Zambia)

5. Tarciane Lima (Houston Dash and Brazil)

6. Lauren Hemp (Manchester City and England)

7. Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit and USWNT)

8. Ada Hegerberg (Lyon and Norway)

9. Manuela Giugliano (Roma and Italy)

10. Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars and USWNT)

11. Glodis Viggosdottir (Bayern Munich and Iceland)

12. Mariona Caldentey (Barcelona/Arsenal and Spain)

13. Lea Schuller (Bayern Munich and Germany)

14. Patri Guijarro (Barcelona and Spain)

15. Gabi Portilho (Corinthians and Brazil)

16. Tabitha Chawinga (PSG and Malawi)

17. Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona and Norway)

18. Lindsey Horan (Lyon and USWNT)

19. Sjoeke Nüsken (Chelsea and Germany)

20. Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City and Japan)

21. Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona and Spain)

22. Alexia Putellas (Barcelona and Spain)

23. Grace Geyoro (PSG and France)

24. Khadija Shaw (Manchester City and Jamaica)

25. Giulia Gwinn (Bayern Munich and Germany)

26. Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns and USWNT)

27. Ewa Pajor (Barcelona/Wolfsburg and Poland)

28. Mayra Ramirez (Levante, Chelsea and USWNT)

29. Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars and USWNT)

30. Marie-Antoinette Katoto (PSG and France)