Rodri most likely winner with Vinicius absent 

Real Madrid believe that Manchester City midfielder Rodri will be announced as the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or later today, beating Vinicius Junior to the award.

The Brazil international, 24, is not attending today’s ceremony in Paris in anticipation of the outcome.

The awards ceremony in Paris starts at 7pm GMT (3pm ET) and you can follow live updates below.

more to come…