2024 Ballon d’Or: (Full list) Lookman, Mbappe, others make list

European football body (UEFA) has released the men and women list for the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees.

The list was revealed in a tweet on Ballon d’Or’s on their Official X page on Wednesday.

Below is the full list of the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees

Men’s nominees

Jude Bellingham (England and Real Madrid)

Ruben Dias (Portugal and Manchester City)

Phil Foden (England and Manchester City)

Federico Valverde (Uruguay and Real Madrid)

Emiliano Martinez (Argentina and Aston Villa)

Cole Palmer (England and Chelsea)

Erling Haaland (Norway and Manchester City)

Ademola Lookman (Nigeria and Atalanta)

Nico Williams (Spain and Athletic Bilbao)

Granit Xhaka (Switzerland and Bayer Leverkusen)

Artem Dovbyk (Ukraine and Roma)

Toni Kroos (former Germany and Real Madrid)

Vinicius Jr (Brazil and Real Madrid)

Dani Olmo (Spain and Barcelona)

Florian Wirtz (Germany and Bayer Leverkusen)

Martin Odegaard (Norway and Arsenal)

Mats Hummels (Germany, free agent)

Rodri (Spain and Manchester City)

Harry Kane (England and Bayern Munich)

Declan Rice (England and Arsenal)

Vitinha (Portugal and Paris St-Germain)

Dani Carvajal (Spain and Real Madrid)

Lamine Yamal (Spain and Barcelona)

Bukayo Saka (England and Arsenal)

Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkey and Inter Milan)

William Saliba (France and Arsenal)

Kylian Mbappe (France and Real Madrid)

Lautaro Martinez (Argentina and Inter Milan)

Antonio Rudiger (Germany and Real Madrid)

Alejandro Grimaldo (Spain and Bayer Leverkusen).

Women nominees

Aitana Bonmati (Spain and Barcelona)

Barbra Banda (Zambia and Orlando Pride)

Tarciane (Brazil and Houston Dash)

Lauren Hemp (England and Manchester City)

Trinity Rodman (United States and Washington Spirit)

Ada Hegerberg (Norway and Lyon)

Manuela Giugliano (Italy and Roma)

Mallory Swanson (United States and Chicago Red Stars)

Glodis Viggosdottir (Iceland and Bayern Munich)

Mariona Caldentey (Spain and Arsenal)

Lauren James (England and Chelsea)

Lea Schuller (Germany and Bayern Munich)

Patricia Guijarro (Spain and Barcelona)

Gabi Portilho (Brazil and Corinthians)

Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi and Lyon)

Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway and Barcelona)

Lindsey Horan (United States and Lyon)

Sjoeke Nusken (Germany and Chelsea)

Yui Hasegawa (Japan and Manchester City)

Lucy Bronze (England and Chelsea)

Salma Paralluelo (Spain and Barcelona)

Giulia Gwinn (Germany and Bayern Munich)

Khadija Shaw (Jamaica and Manchester City)

Grace Geyoro (France and Paris St-Germain)

Alexia Putellas (Spain and Barcelona)

Sophia Smith (United States and Portland Thorns)

Ewa Pajor (Poland and Barcelona)

Alyssa Naeher (United States and Chicago Red Stars)

Mayra Ramirez (Colombia and Chelsea)

Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France and Paris St-Germain)

Kopa Trophy nominees

Pau Cubarsi – (Spain and Barcelona)

Alejandro Garnacho – (Argentina and Manchester United)

Lamine Yamal – (Spain and Barcelona)

Arda Guler – (Turkey and Real Madrid)

Karim Konate – (Cote d’Ivoire and Salzburg)

Kobbie Mainoo – (England and Manchester United)

Joao Neyes – (Portugal and PSG)

Savinho Oliveira – (Brazil and Manchester City)

Mathys Tel – (France and Bayern Munich)

Warren Zaire-Emery – (France and PSG)

Eguavoen denies quitting as interim coach of Super Eagles

JUST IN: Eguavoen steps down as NFF terminates contracts of entire technical crew of Super Eagles

Austin Eguavoen has denied stepping down as the interim coach of the Super Eagles after the two 2025 AFCON qualifiers against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Eguavoen was appointed by the NFF to take charge of the two games following the inability of the federation to secure the services of German coach, Bruno Labbadia.

The 59-year-old led Nigeria to a 3-0 win over the Benin Republic in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, last Saturday before being held to a goalless draw in the second game against Rwanda on Tuesday.

After Tuesday’s goalless draw in Kigali, London reports broke out that Eguavoen stepped down as interim coach but the gaffer has denied the reports ahead of next month’s AFCON qualifiers double header against Libya.

“It’s quite unfortunate that people just trigger something that is not correct. And the situation we are in now, we don’t need negative stories,” Eguavoen said on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja in a media chat.

“I only talked about sitting down with the hierarchy of the federation after these two games and we will see how to go about prosecuting the next games.

“But when I saw that story I was worried. Whatever people are reading out there aren’t correct. I’m still very much in charge. I’m the Technical Director of the NFF, saddled with the responsibility of taking the Super Eagles at this moment,” he said.

News

Murdered Ugandan Olympic athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei to be buried September 14

The funeral for Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died in Kenya after being set on fire by her ex-boyfriend, will be held on September 14 in her home country.

The 33-year-old, who competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics last month, succumbed to severe burns on Thursday, September 5, four days after being doused with petrol and set alight at her home in western Kenya.

Doctors said she had suffered burns to more than 80 per cent of her body after the attack on Sunday last week.

The attack was carried out by Cheptegei’s Kenyan partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, who also suffered serious burns and is being treated in hospital.

“The burial date of Rebecca Cheptegei has been set for September 14, in Kongasis sub-county in Bukwo district (eastern Uganda),” Beatrice Ayikoru, secretary general of the Uganda Olympic Committee and a member of the funeral organising committee, told AFP.

Bukwo is the location of Cheptegei’s family home and lies on the border with Kenya about 380 kilometres (240 miles) northeast of the Ugandan capital Kampala.

Last week Friday, the city of Paris said it would honour Cheptegei, who came 44th in her Olympic marathon debut in August, by naming a sports venue after her.