[News Figures] Who Is This Year's Best Soccer Player?

Who is the best performing football player this year? The list of 30 candidates for the '2024 Ballon d'Or,' considered the most prestigious award in world football, was announced on the 5th. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) were excluded from the candidates. Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Kim Min-jae (Munich) are also not on the list.

The list of 30 Ballon d'Or candidates released by France Football includes six players each from Spain and England, who won the championship and runner-up at Euro 2024, respectively. There are no Asian players on this list.

From Spain, the candidates are Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Alejandro Grimaldo (Leverkusen), Dani Olmo (Leipzig·Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City·hereafter Man City), Nico Williams (Bilbao), and Ramin Yamal (Barcelona). From England, the names include Phil Foden (Man City), Harry Kane (Munich), Cole Palmer (Man City·Chelsea), Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka (both Arsenal), and Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid).

The Ballon d'Or, meaning 'golden ball' in French, is an award established in 1956 by the French football magazine 'France Football.' It is given to the player who has performed the best during a season and is known as the most prestigious award a football player can receive. The winner is decided by a vote of journalists, who come from around the world. Initially, the Ballon d'Or was limited to 'European nationality players' active in 'European football clubs,' but in 1995, the nationality restriction was removed to enhance the award's prestige, and in 2007, the scope of candidates was expanded globally.

Lionel Messi is the player with the most Ballon d'Or wins (8 times), the most consecutive wins, and the first winner from a non-European club. The first non-European and African winner was George Weah (1995). The clubs with the most wins are FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, each having won 12 times.

In Korea, Seol Ki-hyeon and Park Ji-sung were included in the 2002 Ballon d'Or and the 2005 Ballon d'Or 50-candidate list, respectively. Son Heung-min is the first Asian player in history to be selected twice as a final Ballon d'Or candidate. Son was included in the 30-candidate list for the Ballon d'Or in 2019 and 2022. Last year, Kim Min-jae became the first Asian defender to be included in the 30-candidate list for the Ballon d'Or.