Women's Ballon d'Or 2024: Nominees revealed as Aitana Bonmati, Sophia Smith and Lauren James battle for the Golden Ball

The midfielder was hugely influential in Barcelona's first continental quadruple, with the 26-year-old named the Most Valuable Player of both the Champions League final and the tournament. Bonmati was also part of the Spain side that won the inaugural women's Nations League.

The Zambian international has been on fire in the NWSL, scoring 12 goals and bagging five assists in just 14 matches. She also scored four goals in three matches for her country at the Paris Olympics this summer.

The centre-back signed for the Dash for the third-highest transfer fee ever recorded in the women's game back in April and played a starring role as Brazil claimed the silver medal at the Olympics.

The England international scored 11 goals and bagged eight assists in 21 Women's Super League matches for City. And for the Lionesses, she scored five times and turned provider on two occasions in eight games for her country.

The forward scored three goals for the United States on their way to Olympic gold this summer, adding to the six goals and four assists she contributed in the NWSL in 2024. The 22-year-old was at her best in the win over Brazil in the final, too.

The Norwegian, who scored 1.29 goals per 90 minutes in Feminie Division 1, was prolific for Lyon last season, scoring 20 goals in 25 games in all competitions. She added a further four goals in three Nations League games for her country.

The Italy midfielder had a stunning season, bagging 16 and 15 assists in all competitions for eventual Serie A champions Roma.

The American excelled for her country at the Paris Olympics, where on her 100th international appearance she scored the winning goal to defeat Brazil in the Gold Medal match. She also has scored five goals in 13 games for Chicago this season.

The experienced defender was a rock for her club and country last season, as the 29-year-old helped Bayern keep 19 clean sheets in all competitions and a further two for Iceland in eight Nations League matches.

The Spain international was in impressive form in 2023-24, as she scored 20 goals and bagged 17 assists for Barcelona as they won the quadruple. The new Arsenal signing will hope she can bring that form to the WSL this term.

The 22-year-old managed a career-best 13 goals and two assists for the Blues in 16 WSL matches, a feat that led to her being named the club's Women's Player of the Year as they secured the league title on the last day of the season.

The 27-year-old forward has been prolific for Bayern and Germany over the years, with 80 goals in 129 games for the former and 45 goals in 67 caps for the latter. A total of 21 goals for club and country only enhanced her impressive attacking reputation in 2023-24.

The talented midfielder was instrumental in her side's quadruple triumph last season and a handy return of 10 goals and nine assists helped towards that silverware haul. She started the most games as captain for the team, too.

A Brazil international who developed into a key player for Corinthians, Portilho has won 26 Brazil caps and played a starring role as they reached the Olympics final, leaving with a silver medal.

Paris Saint-Germain might have fallen short again in their bid to dethrone Lyon in the French league, but they did win just the fifth major honour in the women's team's history when they beat Fleury in the Coupe de France final, a triumph Chawinga was key to. The Malawi international, who has since signed for Lyon, scored two vital goals in the narrow semi-final win over Paris FC and shone in all competitions to rack up some insane numbers across the board.

Why Graham Hansen hasn’t been nominated for any previous Ballons d’Or remains one of women’s football's biggest mysteries, but that has now been rectified. The Norwegian was one of the best players in Europe throughout the 2023-24 season, with her numbers other-worldly.

Horan came up with some big performances during the Gold Cup at the start of 2024 and the USWNT claimed that title courtesy of her goal in the final. She continued to be an important player for her country at the Olympics, too, wearing the armband as Emma Hayes' side won gold, while she was also part of the Lyon team hat reached the Champions League final and won the French title.

Nusken was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt by Chelsea ahead of the 2023-24 season and she enjoyed a remarkable campaign. The Germany international scored 12 goals in all competitions - including a brace in a Champions League quarter-final against Ajax - and won the Women's Super League.

An experienced Japan international, Hasegawa joined Manchester City and quickly became Keira Walsh's replacement after her move to Barcelona. She operated as the team's midfield fulcrum as they finished second in the WSL, while she also performed well at the Olympics.

Bronze has departed Barcelona to join Chelsea, but she bowed out with a Champions League triumph, becoming the first English player to win five European trophies. She made 36 appearances in total, but has been replaced by Ona Batlle in the Barca team.

Last summer’s World Cup catapulted Paralluelo into the limelight, securing her a third-placed finish in the running for the Ballon d’Or, and she had an even better season with Barca this time around, finishing second in the Liga F Golden Boot race.

The Bayern right-back is an utterly dependable presence, playing a key role as the German giants won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Supercup. She also played a big part as her country won a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, including scoring the winner again Spain in the third-place match.

'Bunny' Shaw was in remarkable form for City throughout the season. In 18 games in the WSL, she scored 21 goals to claim the Golden Boot as the club mounted a significant assault on the title, even if they were ultimately unsuccessful.

Geyoro has developed into a remarkably clinical midfielder at PSG. Thirteen goals in 29 games is a superb return for a central player, and she also laid on six assists.

Putellas found regular starts hard to come by at Barcelona last season, due to injuries and also because Keira Walsh played well when she was sidelined. However, the two-time Ballon d'Or winner made an emphatic cameo appearance in the Champions League final, scoring a world-class goal to seal victory for the Catalans, and she was Spain's best player at the Olympics, even if it was an underwhelming tournament for La Roja.

After helping the USWNT to win the Gold Cup at the start of the year, Sophia Smith made an electric start to the NWSL season with eight goals and six assists in just 10 appearances for the Portland Thorns, and then played a key role as the U.S. won Olympic Gold.

Pajor emerged as one of the most clinical strikers in Europe during her time at Wolfsburg, earning her a move to Barcelona. She scored 18 goals in 19 games last season, while also laying on six assists.

A goalkeeper who has become one of the most recognisable NWSL faces, Naeher remains dependable for club and country. At the age of 36, her nomination is a clear sign of her unbelievable longevity and just reward for someof her heroic displays in both the Gold Cup and the Olympics for the USWNT.

Now at Chelsea, Ramirez was signed in January from Levante. She had scored six goals in seven games for the Spanish club before heading to the Blues, where she won the WSL title. In that triumph, she scored twice and laid on two assists on the final day as the Blues beat Manchester United 6-0.

Katoto came alive in the Champions League last season, scoring seven goals in nine games. She also provided 17 goal involvements in 20 league games for PSG; she is unlikely to be a frontrunner for the award, but the nomination is more than merited.