The SportsClub Editor formed part of the group of journalist around the world to have casted his vote for the covenant award.

Gleeson voted for Mohammed Salah to win the award, while Ousmane Dembélé was second followed by Lamine Yamal in third place while Vitinha and Achraf Hakimi are placed fourth and fifth.

Making up the rest of his list, Gleeson ranked Raphinha, Kylian Mbappe, Désiré Doué, Harry Kane and Cole Palmer to complete his top 10.

Here is how Africa voted in the 2025 Ballon d’Or:

@algeriafooty Here’s how Africa voted in the Ballon d’Or… 🏆 #dembele #ballondor #yamal #mbappe #fyp ♬ original sound – Dean | دين

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Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Vicky Lopez walked away with the Kopa Trophy, while PSG manager Luis Enrique and USA coach Sarina Wiegman claimed the Johan Cruyff Trophy.

Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Chelsea shot-stopper Hannah Hampton won the Yachine Trophy, while Arsenal striker Victor Gyökeres and Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor secured the Gerd Müller Trophy.

Arsenal Women and Paris Saint-Germain men’s team were named as the Club of the Year, while the Xana Foundation claimed the Socrates Award.

Here are the list of winners:

Men’s Ballon d’Or: Ousmane Dembélé
Women’s Ballon d’Or: Aitana Bonmati
Socrates Award: Xana Foundation
Men’s Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain
Women’s Club of the Year: Arsenal
Gerd Müller Trophy: Victor Gyökeres
Women’s Gerd Müller Trophy: Ewa Pajor
Yachine Trophy: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Women’s Yachine Trophy: Hannah Hampton
Johan Cruyff Trophy: Luis Enrique
Women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy: Sarina Wiegman
Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal
Kopa Trophy: Vicky Lopez

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With Real Madrid’s Liga and Champions League double winner Vinicius Junior was regarded as the pre-ceremony favourite, the choice to give the world’s best player award to the deep-lying midfielder was unexpected.

The Spanish club declared hours before the Paris celebrations that its delegation would not be attending the ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre due to what it believed to be Vinicius’s rejection.

The 28-year-old Rodri was voted player of the tournament at Euro 2024 as an underdog Spain won in Germany, and he was instrumental in City defeating Arsenal to win the Premier League title the previous season.

The news seemed to have leaked, since Madrid announced hours before the event that they would not be attending, even though the French organisers insisted that the winner’s name was a closely-guarded secret this year.

After leading her team to an unprecedented continental quadruple of trophies and winning the Nations League with her nation, Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati previously won her second consecutive women’s Ballon d’Or.

The controversy began hours before the presentation when Real Madrid, the Spanish and European champions, said that his colleague Dani Carvajal should receive the trophy if Vinicius did not win.

Carvajal scored, like the Brazilian, as the team defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley in the Champions League final.

consecutive women’s Ballon d’Or, following her country’s Nations League victory and her club’s historic continental quadruple of titles.

Jude Bellingham, Fede Valverde, Antonio Rudiger, and Kylian Mbappe were also candidates from Madrid.

A global panel of 100 specialised journalists selects the winner of the Ballon d’Or from the shortlist.

The former Atletico Madrid midfielder is known for his ability to win balls in the middle of the pitch and for his metronomic passing. He also has a flair for scoring important goals for his team and his country.

Rodri is so important to the teams he plays for that each of Manchester City’s last four Premier League losses has occurred when the player Guardiola has dubbed “irreplaceable” has not been in the squad. In addition to winning City their first Champions League in 2023, he also scored crucial goals for Spain, including his equaliser in their last-16.

Since February 2023, Rodri has gone 52 games without losing in the Premier League.

Although City is presently leading the Premier League, Rodri’s anterior cruciate ligament injury in September ended his chances of winning a fifth consecutive domestic title, setting a new record.

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The 32-year-old made history by becoming the first South African to be nominated for this prestigious award.

Congratulations to our shot-stopper and Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams on being nominated for the 2024 Yachine Trophy! 👆🇿🇦

The Yellow Nation salutes you @ronwen30! 🙌#Sundowns https://t.co/l6uN0ajPLe

— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) September 4, 2024

His nomination came after his stellar performance for Mamelodi Sundowns, in which he helped the club reclaim their league title, winning the African Football League and reaching the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League during the 2023-24 season

He also had an impressive performance for Bafana during their exploits in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Williams has been nominated alongside Diogo Costa (Portugal, Porto), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, Paris Saint-Germain), Gregor Kobel (Switzerland, Borussia Dortmund), Andriy Lunin (Ukraine, Real Madrid), Mike Maignan (France, Milan), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia, Valencia), Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa), Unai Simón (Spain, Athletic Club) and Yann Sommer (Switzerland, Inter).

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Messi, 36, took over the award from Karim Benzema because of how well he played last season and how he led Argentina to victory at the World Cup in Qatar.

“The last one I won was also thanks to what we achieved with the Argentine national team in the Copa America (in 2021), but this one is much more special because it comes after we won the World Cup,” Messi told various media including AFP after collecting his award at a ceremony in Paris.

“That is the trophy everyone wants to win the most, and it was a dream come true for me, my teammates and my country.”

It was the highlight of his amazing career when he led Argentina to victory in Qatar. It also helped him beat Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to win the Ballon d’Or.

Haaland came in second, Mbappe came in third, and Kevin De Bruyne came in fourth.

After Argentina beat France on penalties in the World Cup final in Doha, Messi was named the tournament’s best player. He scored seven goals in the tournament.

Even though Messi won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009, his last season at Paris Saint-Germain wasn’t great either. He left to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

Some people thought he might try for another Ballon d’Or, maybe after the next World Cup in 2026, when he will be 39 years old.

“I am not thinking about the long-term future. I am just enjoying the day to day at the moment,” he said.

“We have a Copa America coming up in the United States, where I am now, in which we are the holders, so I am looking forward to coming into that in good shape and then just see how I am getting on from there.”

Messi said when he got back to Paris that his two years at PSG had not gone the way he had hoped when he signed there from Barcelona in 2021.

“Things didn’t turn out as I hoped but I enjoyed the city a lot, and my kids liked it a lot and found it hard to leave,” he said.

“It is a spectacular city and I was lucky to live here. Football-wise it did not go the way I hoped but I prefer to remember the many good things.”

Photo by EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA

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The 20-year-old has had a great start to his Real career. He scored two goals in Saturday’s 2-1 Clasico win over Barcelona, giving him 13 goals in his first 13 games for the Spanish giants.

But the Kopa Trophy is a reward for how well he played last season. In his last season with Borussia Dortmund, they finished second in the Bundesliga with 14 goals scored in 42 games. He also helped England get to the World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar.

“I am really grateful to Dortmund for the opportunities they gave me over the years and especially last year, to be a leading player and someone who helped the team to win games,” Bellingham told AFP and other media after collecting his prize.

“I think I took that responsibility on quite well and all said I think I had a good year so I am very happy.”

He takes over the trophy named after former Real Madrid and France star Raymond Kopa from midfielder Gavi, who played for Barcelona and Spain.

Previous winners of the men’s Ballon d’Or vote for this award, which has also been given to Kylian Mbappe and Matthijs de Ligt.

Also, Bellingham came in 18th place for this year’s Ballon d’Or, which is the most prestigious individual award in football.

Bellingham is now living in Spain and wants to have a season of success with his club and country that makes him a real contender for the Ballon d’Or next year.

“The aim is to try to win everything with England and with Madrid,” he said of his objectives for the months ahead.

“It is important that I try to give everything I have got at the moment towards that.”

Of England’s prospects at the upcoming European Championship in Germany, he added: “I am definitely confident, we are one of the favourites going into the tournament now and it is important that we quit the talking and finally perform in front of our fans.”

Photo by EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA

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Karim Benzema won the award before Messi, 36, took it over. Messi won because of how well he played last season and how he led Argentina to victory at the World Cup.

Especially Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland gave Messi a lot of trouble, but it was his play in Qatar that helped his country win the game that made his career complete.

The final vote put Haaland in second place, Mbappe in third, and Kevin De Bruyne in fourth.

Messi scored seven goals at the World Cup, and after Argentina beat France on penalties in the final in Doha, he was named the tournament’s best player.

However, Messi, who won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009, also had a disappointing last season at Paris Saint-Germain before leaving to play in Major League Soccer for Inter Miami.

Mbappe, his old teammate at PSG, made his case with his amazing play at the World Cup, where he scored eight goals and scored a hat-trick in the final for France.

Haaland, a Norwegian striker, scored 52 goals in 53 games for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team, which won the English Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.

As part of that City team, he and De Bruyne were nominated.

Photo by EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA

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The 20-year-old has had a great start to his Real career. He scored two goals in Saturday’s 2-1 Clasico win over Barcelona, giving him 13 goals in his first 13 games for the Spanish giants.

But the Kopa Trophy is a reward for how well he played last season. In his last season with Borussia Dortmund, they finished second in the Bundesliga with 14 goals scored in 42 games. He also helped England get to the World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar.

He is the new winner of the trophy named after Raymond Kopa, a star player for Real Madrid and France who also played for Barcelona and Spain.

The award is chosen by former winners of the men’s Ballon d’Or. Kylian Mbappe and Matthijs de Ligt are two other past winners.

Bellingham also came in 18th place for this year’s Ballon d’Or, which is the most prestigious individual award in football.

Photo by EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA

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Messi just left Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami. After leading Argentina to World Cup victory in Qatar last year, he has a chance to beat Karim Benzema and win the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in his amazing career.

Haaland may be his biggest competition for the prize because he scored 52 goals in 53 games last season and helped Manchester City win the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup.

Last season, the Norway striker won the UEFA player of the year award.

Kylian Mbappe of PSG and Kevin De Bruyne, who plays for Haaland’s City team, are also among the 30 candidates for the prize. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on October 30.

Benzema, who left Real Madrid for Saudi club Al-Ittihad in June after 14 years there, is also up for the award.

Bonmati is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or because she was the best player when Spain won the World Cup in Sydney last month. She won the UEFA women’s player award.

She was also a big part of Barcelona’s win in the Champions League, and she hopes to follow in the footsteps of Alexia Putellas, who won the last two years for both her club and her country.

Putellas isn’t nominated this time because she didn’t play much for Barcelona last season because she hurt her knee in July 2022 and couldn’t play for nine months.

Bonmati was nominated along with Olga Carmona, Salma Paralluelo, and Alba Redondo, all of whom were on Spain’s team that won the World Cup.

Patricia Guijarro and Mapi Leon, who are also from their country, are also named.

Both of them are from Barcelona, but they didn’t go to the World Cup because they were among the 15 players who said last year that they didn’t want to play for Spain anymore to protest the Spanish federation and coach Jorge Vilda.

Sam Kerr, a striker for Chelsea and Australia, and Mary Earps, a custodian for England, are also among the 30 nominees.

Photo by EPA/MARK HUMPHREY

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In 1960, he was the first player born in Spain to win the Ballon d’Or. Later, he coached La Roja at the 1990 World Cup.

“From the RFEF we want to convey our condolences to all relatives and close friends of Luis Suarez Miramontes,” wrote the Spanish football federation on Twitter.

Suarez was loved in Italy too after becoming one of the league’s most celebrated midfielders at Inter Milan under coach Helenio Herrera in the 1960s.

“Saying goodbye to Luisito leaves us with a deep melancholy — the nostalgia of his perfect and inimitable football, which inspired generations, is combined with the memory of a unique footballer and a great, great Inter player,” wrote Inter in a statement.

Suarez was born in La Coruna in 1935, and he started his career there before moving to Barcelona in 1954.

He won the Ballon d’Or and two La Liga trophies with the Catalan giants, among other awards.

Alexia Putellas, a midfielder for Barcelona, is the only other player who was born in Spain and has won the Ballon d’Or. She has won the women’s trophy twice.

Alfredo Di Stefano won it twice, even though he was born in Buenos Aires and played for Argentina and then Spain.

Suarez joined Inter Milan for a world-record price in 1961. He won two European Cups, three Serie A titles, and other trophies during the club’s most successful time.

He also won the European Championships with Spain in 1964. He played 32 times for the Spanish national team.

Suarez retired from Sampdoria in 1973 and went on to coach them, Inter, Como, and Cagliari.

“Goodbye Luisito,” wrote Sampdoria on Twitter, posting a photo of the Spaniard in tribute.

Ciao Luisito. 😢 pic.twitter.com/PHRIIdHpRs

— U.C. Sampdoria (@sampdoria) July 9, 2023

In 1988, he became the coach of Spain’s national team. Two years later, he led them to the World Cup in Italy, where they lost to Yugoslavia in the round of 16.

Towards the end of his life, Suarez worked as a commentator on Spanish radio.

He had the same name as the Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who also played for Barcelona. However, they were not related.

“His father told me that if he’s called Luis, it’s my fault,” the Spaniard told So Foot in 2016.

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