Ballon d’Or Winner Odds: Keep An Eye on Rodri

Following the end of Euro 2024 and Copa America, the anticipation for football’s biggest accolade is building, as the Ballon d’Or winner odds start to take shape. And with it, the debate over who truly deserves the title of the world’s best footballer is reaching fever pitch. 

For the first time over almost two decades neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo are among the top three favourites, as one name stands out: Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri. 

With standout performances on both the club and international stages, Rodri is making a compelling case for why he should be awarded football’s most prestigious individual accolade.

Our expert, Daniele Fisichella, details the Ballon d’Or odds betting landscape, the favourites, the accolade’s stats and facts, as well as a list of previous winners of the trophy.

In this article: 

• Ballon d’Or Winner Odds 2024
• Vinicius Junior Ballon d’Or winner odds
• Rodri Ballon d’Or winner odds
• Jude Bellingham Ballon d’Or winner odds
• Ballon d’Or Stats and Facts
• Ballon d’Or Previous Winners List (1956-2023)
• Ballon d’Or Frequently Asked Questions

However, despite being named Player of the Tournament in Germany, the Spaniard is not the main favourite for the award. In fact, Real Madrid’s Vinicius is considered the front-runner, thanks to his extraordinary season that led ‘Los Blancos’ to Champions League triumph.

Disappointing performances at Euro 2024 have seen Jude Bellingham slip into third position, with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal’s breakout season propelling him past the likes of Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland.

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Ballon d’Or Winner Odds 2024: Rodri coming up the outside

Player	Odds	Implied Probability
Vinicius Junior	2.00	50%
Rodri	2.75	34.4%
Jude Bellingham	5.00	20%
Dani Carvajal	11.00	9.1%
Lamine Yamal	19.00	5.3%
Lionel Messi	21.00	4.8%
Kylian Mbappe	34.00	2.9%
Lautaro Martinez	34.00	2.9%
Nico Williams	34.00	2.9%
Harry Kane	41.00	2.4%
Phil Foden	41.00	2.4%
Toni Kroos	41.00	2.4%
Erling Haaland	67.00	1.5%

 

Ballon d’Or Winner Odds via bet365 as at 09:22 Wednesday 31st July 2024. Odds may now differ.

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Vinicus Junior Ballon d’Or winner odds

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr., 24, has been a standout candidate for the Ballon d’Or, largely due to his pivotal role in securing La Liga and the Champions League titles for his team. 

Despite a slow start to the season following Karim Benzema’s departure and early injury troubles, Vinicius found his form, scoring a hat-trick in the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona and consistently performing in La Liga.

Vinicius’s most notable contributions came in the Champions League. He was the standout player in both legs of Real Madrid’s semi-final victory over Bayern Munich and shone brightly in the final at Wembley, scoring the second goal in the win over Borussia Dortmund.

However, his summer did not go as planned. After scoring twice in the Copa America group stages, Vinicius was suspended for the quarter-final against Uruguay due to accumulated yellow cards. 

From the sidelines, he watched Brazil’s painful exit on penalties. This misfortune may open the door for another contender to claim the prize.

Rodri Ballon d’Or winner odds

Since the start of 2023, Rodri has only experienced defeat in four matches and has added eight trophies to his collection. His dominance is not solely due to his individual brilliance but also his ability to elevate those around him. This unique quality is evident in how his presence enhances the performance of his teammates, making Manchester City and Spain formidable forces.

Despite these achievements, defensive midfielders often find themselves overlooked in favour of more attacking players for individual awards. 

In fact, the last defensive midfielder to win the prize was Germany’s Matthias Sammer in 1996, after his country won the Euros.

But If the Ballon d’Or is truly about recognisng the best player over the past year, Rodri’s name should be at the forefront of the conversation.

Jude Bellingham Ballon d’Or winner odds

Jude Bellingham’s debut season with Real Madrid has been nothing short of spectacular. 

The 21-year-old midfielder, who joined from Borussia Dortmund last summer, was instrumental in securing a La Liga and Champions League double for Los Blancos.

Bellingham scored 23 goals and provided 13 assists, with standout performances including late winners in both La Liga clashes with Barcelona. His impact extended to the Champions League, where his decisive play helped Madrid overcome Manchester City.

At Euro 2024 Bellingham produced a magnificent overhead kick against Slovakia in the last 16, but his overall performance was below par. 

Despite missing some games in early 2024 due to injury and suspension, Bellingham’s overall contributions have reignited his Ballon d’Or bid. 

If he were to win, he would come close to breaking the record for the youngest-ever recipient, a testament to his extraordinary talent and influence in his first season in Madrid.

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Ballon d’Or Stats and Facts

• Lionel Messi (8) and Cristiano Ronaldo (5) have dominated the Ballon d’Or, each winning it on multiple occasions.
• Luka Modrić muscled into the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo monopoly of the award in 2018, becoming the first player other than Messi or Ronaldo to win the accolade since 2007.
• Messi also holds the record for the most consecutive Ballon d’Or wins, securing four titles between 2009 and 2012.
• Since 1990, only six non-strikers (Lothar Matthaus, Matthias Sammer, Pavel Nedved, Fabio Cannavaro, Kakà and Luca Modric) have won the Ballon d’Or.
• The award was cancelled for the first time in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If it had gone ahead, Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich/Bundesliga fame looked poised to notch his first-ever Ballon d’Or.
• Lionel Messi wasn’t included in the top three nominees in 2022 for the first time since 2006.
• Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or, having done so in 1963 as a Dynamo Moscow player.
• Johan Cruyff was the first player to win the Ballon d’Or three times.
• George Weah, the only African recipient, was the first non-European to win the Ballon d’Or.
• Ronaldo Nazario, a two-time winner, is the youngest player ever to win the Ballon d’Or.

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Ballon d’Or all time Winners List (From 1956-2023):

Year	Player	Club, and Country
2023	Lionel Messi	Inter Miami, formerly Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina
2022	Karim Benzema	Real Madrid, France
2021	Lionel Messi	Paris Saint-Germain, formerly Barcelona, Argentina
2020	Award Cancelled due to COVID-19	N/A
2019	Lionel Messi	Barcelona, Argentina
2018	Luka Modrić	Real Madrid, Croatia
2017	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid, Portugal
2016	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid, Portugal
2015	Lionel Messi	Barcelona, Argentina
2014	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid, Portugal
2013	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid, Portugal
2012	Lionel Messi	Barcelona, Argentina
2011	Lionel Messi	Barcelona, Argentina
2010	Lionel Messi	Barcelona, Argentina
2009	Lionel Messi	Barcelona, Argentina
2008	Cristiano Ronaldo	Manchester United, Portugal
2007	Kaká	Milan, Brazil
2006	Fabio Cannavaro	Real Madrid, Italy
2005	Ronaldinho	Barcelona, Brazil
2004	Andriy Shevchenko	Milan, Ukraine
2003	Pavel Nedvěd	Juventus, Czechia
2002	Ronaldo	Real Madrid, Brazil
2001	Michael Owen	Liverpool, England
2000	Luís Figo	Real Madrid, Portugal
1999	Rivaldo	Barcelona, Brazil
1998	Zinedine Zidane	Juventus, France
1997	Ronaldo	Internazionale, Brazil
1996	Matthias Sammer	Borussia Dortmund, Germany
1995	George Weah	Milan, Liberia
1994	Hristo Stoichkov	Barcelona, Bulgaria
1993	Roberto Baggio	Juventus, Italy
1992	Marco van Basten	Milan, Netherlands
1991	Jean-Pierre Papin	Marseille, France
1990	Lothar Matthäus	Internazionale, Germany
1989	Marco van Basten	Milan, Netherlands
1988	Marco van Basten	Milan, Netherlands
1987	Ruud Gullit	Milan, Netherlands
1986	Igor Belanov	Dynamo Kyiv, Soviet Union
1985	Michel Platini	Juventus, France
1984	Michel Platini	Juventus, France
1983	Michel Platini	Juventus, France
1982	Paolo Rossi	Juventus, Italy
1981	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	Bayern Munich, West Germany
1980	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	Bayern Munich, West Germany
1979	Kevin Keegan	Hamburg, England
1978	Kevin Keegan	Hamburg, England
1977	Allan Simonsen	Borussia Monchengladbach, Denmark
1976	Franz Beckenbauer	Bayern Munich, West Germany
1975	Oleg Blokhin	Dynamo Kyiv, Soviet Union
1974	Johan Cruyff	Barcelona, Netherlands
1973	Johan Cruyff	Barcelona, Netherlands
1972	Franz Beckenbauer	Bayern Munich, West Germany
1971	Johan Cruyff	Ajax, Netherlands
1970	Gerd Müller	Bayern Munich, West Germany
1969	Gianni Rivera	Milan, Italy
1968	George Best	Manchester United, Northern Ireland
1967	Flórián Albert	Ferencvarosi TC, Hungary
1966	Bobby Charlton	Manchester United, England
1965	Eusébio	Benfica, Portugal
1964	Denis Law	Manchester United, Scotland
1963	Lev Yashin	Dynamo Moscow, Soviet Union
1962	Josef Masopust	Dukla Prague, Czechoslovakia
1961	Omar Sívori	Juventus, Italy
1960	Luis Suárez	Barcelona, Spain
1959	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Real Madrid, Argentina
1958	Raymond Kopa	Real Madrid, France
1957	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Real Madrid, Argentina
1956	Stanley Matthews	Blackpool, England

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Ballon d’Or Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the Ballon d’Or? 

The Ballon d’Or, awarded annually by France Football magazine, is one of football’s most prestigious individual honours. Established in 1956, it recognizes the world’s best male player based on votes from international journalists. Initially for European players only, it has expanded in 1995 to include players globally.

Who has the most Ballon d’Or wins

Who has the most Ballon d’Or wins, we hear you ask? Considering it has been awarded to players since 1956, you’d assume there would be someone close to Lionel Messi’s seven Ballon d’Or triumphs. Well, in short, there isn’t.

The Argentinian is the most decorated Ballon d’Or winner ever.

How is the Ballon d’Or winner decided?

The Ballon d’Or winner is chosen through a voting process. From 1956 to 2006, football journalists worldwide voted. After 2007, national team coaches, captains, and a journalist from each FIFA nation also voted. Voters rank their top three players in order of preference.

How many Ballon d’Or wins does Messi have?

When discussing the Ballon d’Or in recent times, Lionel is never too far from the conversation, but how many Ballon d’Or wins does Messi have? Eight.

It’s a remarkable feat. It’s something we’ll likely never see again from one player. The longevity and world-class level of performance in equal measure is a sight to behold

How many Ballon d’Or wins does Ronaldo have?

So, Messi has eight, but how many Ballon d’Or wins does Ronaldo have? After all, they were nemesis to some extent – neck and neck to any metric and personal accolade during their career. If the history books are to look back and judge talent on the number of Ballon d’Or lifts, they’ll look a little less favourably on Ronaldo’s five.

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