As the highly anticipated Women’s Ballon d’Or 2024 draws closer, France Football have revealed the top-15 list of female footballers for the highly anticipated price with the favorites power rankings now out
The women’s football tournament during the recently concluded 2024 Olympic Games was the last event where players got the chance to set their case for the coveted award.
Women’s Ballon d’Or Feminin 2024 top 10 power rankings and nominees favorites
Notably, the last three winners of the Ballon d’Or have either represented Barcelona or Spain, and this year’s winner could also feature that same association.
France Football announces Ballon d’Or 2024 Power Rankings
France Football and this year’s new co-organisers, UEFA, have announced the nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings on Wednesday, September 4. This year’s award like always features a mix of players from the NWSL, and Europe’s top leagues. Notably, this year again, the last three winners of the Golden Ball, are all on the shortlist again.
Check out the full top-15 list of shortlisted players below:
- Lea Schuller
Club – Bayern Munich
2023-24 stats:
- 27 goals
- 5 assists
- Frauen Bundesliga
- Olympic Bronze
- Schuller had a terrific 2023-24 season, winning the Frauen Bundesliga as the club’s top scorer.
Schuller had a terrific 2023-24 season, winning the Frauen Bundesliga as the club’s top scorer. She also scored three goals for Germany during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and helped her country win an Olympic bronze medal.
- Trinity Rodman
Club – Washington Spirit
2023-24 stats:
- 12 goals
- 10 assists
- Won Olympic Gold
- Won CONCACAF W Gold Cup
The 22-year-old scored a brilliant strike during the quarter-finals of the Paris 2024 to help the USWNT beat Japan 1-0 in extra-time. Moreover, she scored five goals and four assists across 15 NWSL games this season. She played a major role in helping her Washington Spirit squad finish in third place.
- Barbra Banda
Club – Orlando Pride
2023-24 stats:
- 16 goals
- six assists
However, Barbra Banda has proven to be a goal-scoring machine with 12 goals in 12 games in the NSWL. And despite Zambia’s group-stage exit during Paris 2024, she scored four times in three games.
- Tabitha Chawinga
Club – Lyon
2023-24 stats
- 27 goals
- 14 assists
- Won Coupe de France
Tabitha Chawinga is a Malawi international, who signed for Lyon, gained prominence after scoring two vital goals in the narrow semi-final win over Paris FC. She also went on to to rack up insane numbers across all competitions. She was the best player in France last season, but a Champions League semi-final exit ruined her chances of finishing near the top of the Ballon d’Or rankings.
- Lauren James
Club – Chelsea
2023-24 stats:
- 19 goals
- eight assists
- Won Women’s Super League
Following two big cup defeats and a Champions League semi-final exit, Chelseas players have lost out on any chances of winning the Ballon d’Or. The Blues managed to win only the Women’s Super League last season. Despite this setback, Lauren James has once again made the shortlist for this year’s award.
- Alexia Putellas
Club – Barcelona
2023-24 stats:
- 15 goals
- 11 assists
- Won Champions League
- Won Liga F
- Won Copa de la Reina & Supercopa de Espana
Alexia Putellas has had a comparatively quiet season this time around, following multiple injuries. Despite the lack of game-time, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner manged to make a decisive appearance during the Champions League final. Just moments after coming on, Putellas scored a world-class goal to help the Catalans secure a win. Moreover, she emerged as the best player for at the Parsi 2024 Olympics.
- Ada Hegerberg
Club – Lyon
2023-24 stats
- 24 goals
- four assists
- Won Division 1 Femenine & Trophee des Championnes
Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg has had a difficult season because of injuries. This has battered her chances of claiming a second Ballon d’Or title. Despite the injury, Hegerberg played a major role in helping Lyon retain their league title, following an impressive 24 goals across all competitions. While her chances of finishing at the top are slim, the former winner definitely deserves a nomination.
- Lindsey Horan
Club – Lyon
2023-24 stats:
- 12 goals
- 8 assists
- Won Olympic Gold
- Won CONCACAF W Gold Cup
- Division 1 Feminine & Trophee des Championnes
Lindsey Horan made some important appearances during the Gold Cup at the start of 2024, helping the USWNT secure the title. The 29-year-old has proven to be an effective player in helping the French giants reach another Champions League final. She also played a major role in helping her side win the league again.
- Mallory Swanson
Club – Chicago Red Stars
2023-24 stats:
- 13 goals
- 7 assists
- Won Olympic Gold
Due to a nightmare knee injury that required two surgeries, Mallory Swanson didn’t make her return from a year-long absence until March of this year, and yet she could find herself quite high up the list of Ballon d’Or nominees. That’s because she was the USWNT’s best player at Paris 2024 as it claimed a record-extending fifth Olympic gold medal. In fact, she was arguably the best player of the entire tournament.
Swanson scored four goals and registered two assists in just six games, setting up Sophia Smith for her winner in the semi-final before bagging the only goal of the gold medal match. Her 10 goal involvements in 15 NWSL games before the Olympics, putting the Chicago Red Stars in the playoff places at the halfway stage of the season, was a nice base to strengthen her case, too.
- Patri Guijarro (Barcelona)
2023-24 stats:
- 10 goals
- 8 assists
- Won Champions League
- Won Liga F
- Won Copa de la Reina
- Won Supercopa de Espana
Guijarro is a highly underrated player with her role as a deep-lying midfielder, which may not seem as exciting at first glance. Despite this, she finished at eighth in last year’s Ballon d’Or ranking and has featured even higher this year again. Guijarro played a major role in helping Barca secure a historic quadruple win.
- Sophia Smith
Club – Portland Thorns
2023-24:
- 19 goals
- 11 assists
- Won Olympic Gold
- Won CONCACAF W Gold Cup
Sophia Smith had a triumphant start to the NWSL season with eight goals and six assists in just 10 appearances. She currently plays for the Portland Thorns, and also helped the USWNT win the Gold Cup at the start of the year. Moreover, she played a key role in helping the side secure Olympic Gold. The 23-year-old has definitely earned her spot in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
- Mariona Caldentey
Club – Arsenal
2023-24:
- 27 goals
- 23 assists
- Won Champions League
- Won Liga F
- Won Copa de la Reina
- Won Supercopa de Espana
- Won Nations League
Before joining Arsenal, from Barcelona, Mariona Caldentey starred in the Champions League final, helping the Catalans secure a first-ever quadruple win. She further continued her form with Spain as well, in the Nations League final win. She also stood out for Sapin, scoring the winning goal against Japan at the Olympics.
- Salma Paralluelo
Club – Barcelona
2023-24 stats
- 38 goals
- 13 assists
- Won Champions League
- Won Liga F
- Won Copa de la Reina
- Won Supercopa de Espana & Nations League
Paralluelo played a major role during last summer’s World Cup, and finished second in the Liga F Golden Boot race. While the 20-year-old has struggled to find game-time in some high-profile matches like the Champions League final and Olympics, she has certainly stood out. A As a result, she has secured a third-place finish in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
- Caroline Graham Hansen
Club – Barcelona
2023-24
- 33 goals
- 26 assists
- Won Champions League
- Won Liga F
- Won Copa de la Reina
- Won Supercopa de Espana
Graham Hansen is making her debut on the Ballons d’Or nominations list. The Norwegian was arguably one of the best players across Europe throughout the 2023-24 season.Hansen played a major role in helping Barca secured their claimed win, particularly in the Champions League final.
- Aitana Bonmati
Club – Barcelona
2023-24 stats:
- 26 goals
- 18 assists
- Won Champions League
- Won Liga F
- Won Copa de la Reina
- Won Supercopa de Espana
- Won Nations League
Bonmati has stepped up for Barcelona on several important occasions this season. The 26-year-old stepped up for Barca during the second leg of their Champions League semi-final as well as break the deadlock during the Champions League final. She was undoubtedly the most influential player for Barca last season. Although she could not help Spain win the Olympic gold medal, the midfielder is certainly worthy of topping the list.