If you thought the days of the Ballon d'Or generating headlines were over after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's era of dominance came to an end, then think again. After one of the most closely-fought races for a number of years, Rodri came out on top in 2024, beating Vinicius Jr into second place as Real Madrid dramatically boycotted the ceremony in Paris in protest at their star player missing out.

Kylian Mbappe scored a ton of goals in his first season at Real Madrid, but he has backed two ex-team-mates to land the coveted Ballon d'Or.

The shortlist for world football's most prestigious individual award has been revealed ahead of the ceremony in Paris on September 22

Enzo Maresca's men pulled off a sensational upset by routing heavy favourites Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday's final in New Jersey

GOAL takes a look at the seven best players of the tournament, including big moments from Saudi Arabia and Brazil stars