Two shock names emerged in the race for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, according to reports in France.

Two shock names emerged in the race for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, according to reports in France.

For the first time in almost two decades, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi are in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or.

Indeed, the pair have won 13 Ballon d’Ors between them, with Messi having claimed eight, including last year’s edition, and Ronaldo on five.

But this year, with the duo in the twilight of their respective careers, a new generation of players is set to contest for football’s most lauded individual honour.

Real Madrid duo Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr have long been in the conversation for this year’s Ballon d’Or, with the former having starred in his first season with the La Liga giants, setting up the latter to score in the Champions League final.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s Rodri is also thought to be among the leading contenders, having helped his club to a record fourth-successive Premier League title and won Spain’s record fourth European Championship title.

Martinez scored the winner in the Copa America final (Getty)

However, according to L’Equipe Argentina star Lautaro Martinez is also in contention for the Ballon d’Or, after scoring five goals in his six Copa America games, including the winner in Sunday’s final.

For Inter last term, Martinez also racked up 24 goals and provided six assists in 33 games for Inter, who claimed the Serie A title.

Meanwhile, the publication has also alleged that Dani Carvajal is in the running.

The right-back won his fourth La Liga title and his sixth Champions League crown at Real Madrid last season, scoring the opening goal in the latter’s final.

Carvajal was also a regular in the Spain team as they won Euro 2024, beating England 2-1 in the competition’s final.

https://youtu.be/CRfIFuGxaKM?si=vzQcmszwgPY7WvWJ

Selena Gomez reveals the meaning of her new hit song Single Soon: 'It's a playful anthem about being comfortable in your own skin'

Selena Gomez explained the meaning behind her newly released song Single Soon on Friday.

The day after releasing the catchy track, the singer, 31, took to her Instagram to share a black-and-white photo from the adjoining music video and also thanked her fans for their support.

In her caption, she left a short but sweet message and provided insight into the significance of her song.

The Only Murders in the Building actress — who recently made a rare remark on her breakup with Justin Bieber — began: 'Thank you guys for all the love on Single Soon!!!

'It's a playful anthem about being comfortable in your own skin and loving your own company,' she continued.

+5
View gallery

Real meaning: Selena Gomez explained the meaning behind her newly released song Single Soon on Friday, while sharing a snap for the music video

Alongside a pink hearts emoji, she added, 'And it's also really fun to dance to!'

The solo picture she had shared was of a shot from her music video — which she dropped on Thursday night.

In the scene, she was dressed in a slinky and sexy minidress as she laughed and danced with her gal pals post-breakup.

Her many fans — of which she boasts about 428 million on Instagram alone — raved about her musical comeback.

With Single Soon, this marks her first solo track release in three years.

Many of her fans praised the song and gushed that it was 'heartwarming' to see her so 'carefree, happy and confident' after a slew of personal struggles in the past.

On August 17, she announced to fans that she would be finally dropping some new music and revealed the release date.

She shared a carousel of images teasing the music video release and wrote in her caption: 'Y'all have been asking for new music for a while.

+5
View gallery

Thankful: The day after releasing the catchy track, the singer, 31, took to her Instagram to thank her fans for their support

+5

Flying solo: 'It's a playful anthem about being comfortable in your own skin and loving your own company,' she told fans

+5
View gallery

New music: Single Soon is the first single from her upcoming album as well as her first musical release since her Spanish-language EP Revelacion — which was released in March 2021

Selena Gomez teases her upcoming song 'Single Soon' on TikTok

In her inscription, she also teased a forthcoming third studio album to the excitement of her fans.

'Since I'm not quite done with SG3, I wanted to put out a fun little song I wrote a while back that's perfect for the end of summer.'

The track was produced by benny blanco and Cashmere Cat, and the video adjoining music video was directed by Philip Andelman.

Single Soon is the first single from her upcoming album as well as her first musical release since her Spanish-language EP Revelacion — which was released in March 2021.