France Football has revealed how journalists voted in the battle for the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or, which saw Rodri Hernández win the world-player-of-the-year award ahead of Vinícius Júnior. The Manchester City midfielder beat the Real Madrid forward to the prize by a margin of just 41 points, becoming the first Spanish man to receive the Ballon d’Or since Luis Suárez Miramontes in 1960.

How did Ballon d’Or voting work?

One hundred journalists - one each from the top 100 nations in FIFA’s men’s world rankings - vote for the winner of the Men’s Ballon d’Or. However, only 99 ended up casting their ballots this year; Syria appears not to have taken part.

Selecting from a 30-player shortlist announced two months before October’s Ballon d’Or gala, every juror chose their top 10 candidates, with each of their picks awarded a progressively lower number of points. Their No. 1 selection received 15, and their following nine choices each got 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, respectively.

How many Ballon d’Or points did Rodri, Vinícius get?

France Football, a French soccer magazine that has organized the Ballon d’Or since founding the accolade in 1956, says Rodri won the vote with a total of 1,170 points, with Vinícius just behind on 1,129. Along with the entire Real Madrid delegation, the Brazilian boycotted the awards ceremony in Paris, after news leaked ahead of the gala that Rodri was poised for Ballon d’Or victory.

Which countries left Vinícius out of their top 10?

Rodri was given the full 15 points by 49 journalists, including those from England, Germany, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands. Vinícius was the top vote for 35 members of the jury, among whom were former AS editor-in-chief Alfredo Relaño, who has Spain’s pick, and the representatives of Brazil and France. Vinícius’s Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham, who finished third, accrued five No.1 votes, from the journalists representing Georgia, Namibia, El Salvador, Scotland and Slovenia.

The Namibian and Salvadoran journalists are among a group of three jury members who deemed Vinícius unworthy of a place even in their top 10. They’re joined by Finland’s representative, who awarded maximum points to Rodri.

Madrid defender Dani Carvajal, who came fourth in the vote, was the Ballon d’Or pick for four countries - Angola, Hungary, Peru and Oman - while his former club-mate Toni Kroos, who retired in the summer, was first choice for Argentina and Ecuador on his way to a ninth-placed finish.

France striker Kylian Mbappé, who moved to the Bernabéu during the close season, picked up just the one nod as the best men’s player on the planet, from the Ivory Coast. Mbappé came sixth, one behind Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who was South Korea’s choice for Ballon d’Or.

Another nominee who received a single top vote was Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, who was awarded 15 points by the jury member from Nigeria - the country the England-born forward represents.