Sports

Here Are the Latin American Fútbol Players Who Ranked in the Top 30 of the Ballon d’Or

Lead Photo: MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 16: Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Real Madrid v FC Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 16, 2022 in Madrid Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 16: Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Real Madrid v FC Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 16, 2022 in Madrid Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)

France Football’s prestigious Ballon d’Or winner was announced yesterday, and though – unlike most of the previous years – this time it didn’t go to any one of our communities, Lionel Messi not even making the Top 10, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some names to celebrate in the list of the top fútbol players in the world, as voted by media from around the world.

Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior, the highest-ranked Latino, came in at number eight, with Fabinho coming in at 14, and Casemiro at 17. Also at 17, in a three-way-tie is Colombian winger Luis Díaz. Uruguay’s Darwin Núñez rounds off the Top 30 finalists from our communities, at number 25.

The Ballon d’Or award comes right before the FIFA World Cup, which starts in a little over a month in Qatar, and is meant to take into account the previous seasons, with France Football making adjustments to the voting process last year, after a controversial Lionel Messi win, to ensure that voters don’t play too much emphasis on a player’s career trajectory. Karin Benzema easily won this year’s trophy after a fantastic season with club Real Madrid.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d’Or’s in history, with seven trophies to his name. The next award, which will not be announced until a year from now, is likely to be heavily skewed towards a member of the team that wins the FIFA 2022 World Cup, where both Messi’s Argentina and Vinícius Júnior’s Brazil are considered top contenders. 

The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup will get underway on November 20th when hosts Qatar play Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium.