Ballon d'Or 2024: Aitana Bonmati and Lauren James among 30 nominees for Women's Ballon d'Or award

Barcelona Femení's Aitana Bonmati and Chelsea Women's Lauren James are among the 30 nominees for the 2024 Ballon d'Or Feminin award. The award is given to the best women's player in the world from the previous season.

Barcelona have the most representatives in the 30 player shortlist with eight, followed by Chelsea with four.

Here is the complete shortlist for the award:

Lauren Hemp - Man City
Trinity Rodman - Washington Spirit
Barbra Banda - Shanghai RCB/Orlando Pride
Tarciane - Houston Dash
Manuela Giugliano - Roma
Mallory Swanson - Chicago Red Stars
Glodis Viggosdottir - Bayern Munich
Mariona Caldentey - Barcelona/Arsenal
Lauren James - Chelsea
Patricia Guijarro - Barcelona
Lea Schuller - Bayern Munich
Gabi Portilho - Corinthians
Tabitha Chawinga - PSG
Caroline Graham Hansen - Barcelona
Lindsey Horan - Lyon
Lucy Bronze - Barcelona/Chelsea
Yui Hasegawa - Man City
Ada Hegerberg - Lyon
Sjoeke Nüsken - Chelsea
Aitana Bonmati - Barcelona
Alex Putellas - Barcelona
Grace Geyoro - PSG
Khadija Shaw - Man City
Guilia Gwinn - Bayern Munich
Salma Paralluelo - Barcelona
Ewa Pajor - Wolfsburg/Barcelona
Sophie Smith - Portland Thorns
Marie-Antoinette Katoto - PSG
Mayra Ramirez - Chelsea
Alyssa Naeher - Chicago Red Stars

The last three winners of the award have represented Barcelona and Spain and it wouldn't come as a surprise if that trend continues considering the Catalan club's dominance last season.

Aitana Bonmati and Lauren James favourites for 2024 Ballon d'Or Feminin

Bonmati is the current Ballon d'Or holder, having won the award in 2023 after helping Barca Femeni secure a treble of the Primera Division, Women's UEFA Champions League, and Supercopa de Espana.

Last season, Barcelona went one better as they won four trophies, defending the three trophies and adding the Copa de la Reina to their collection. The attacking midfielder made a major contribution to the club's success with 26 goals and 18 assists.

Bonmati will face stiff competition from Chelsea's 22-year-old forward Lauren James. Chelsea won the English Women's Super League, edging out Manchester City on goal difference. However, the Blues crashed out of the Champions League in the semi-final after a 2-1 aggregate loss to Barcelona. James scored 19 goals and provided eight assists for Chelsea.

United States Women's National Team's (USWNT) Sophia Smith is also an outside contender for the award. She helped the USWNT win the Gold Cup at the start of the year before starring for them at the Olympics, where they clinched the Gold medal. The 24-year-old, however, failed to taste domestic success with her club, Portland Thorns.

About the author

Saransh is a European and International Football writer at Sportskeeda and has over 10 years of overall experience. He has a great interest in the sport, having watched and played it as a kid, and later at national level.

Saransh supports Liverpool as he finds similarity between himself and the ethos of the club’s supporters. He also admires Jurgen Klopp for his philosophy on life and football. In terms of players, he is, unsurprisingly, a big fan of Steven Gerrard and Lionel Messi for their playing style and ability to influence games single-handedly.

Siphiwe Tshabalala’s goal for hosts South Africa at the 2010 World Cup, Fabio Grosso’s 119th-minute goal for Italy in their win over Germany in 2006 World Cup semi-final, and Ronaldo Nazario’s performance at the 2002 World Cup are some moments that left a lasting impact on Saransh.

He pays great attention to detail and ensures proper research and fact-checking to ensure complete accuracy in his articles. His exploits in the industry have led to interview many top European footballers over the years like John Barnes, Robbie Fowler and Shay Given over the years. He also follows the ISL to stay in touch with Indian football.

When not working, Saransh enjoys watching sports other than cricket.

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Edited by Arshit Garg