Ancelotti and Hayes Receive Inaugural Ballon d’Or Coaching Honors

The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony saw Carlo Ancelotti and Emma Hayes receive the first-ever Johan Cruyff Awards, honoring the top coaches in men’s and women’s football, respectively. Hayes participated in the event through a pre-recorded video message. Last season, Ancelotti led Real Madrid to their 15th Champions League title, extending their record, which marked his fifth such triumph as a manager. His team also secured the La Liga title. Hayes, during the previous season, guided Chelsea to their fifth consecutive Women’s Super League (WSL) title. Under her leadership, the team also reached the final of the Women’s League Cup and advanced to the semi-finals of both the Women’s Champions League and the Women’s FA Cup. Following the conclusion of last season, Hayes departed Chelsea to assume the role of head coach for the United States women’s team. Her team subsequently defeated Brazil 1-0 in the final of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, securing a gold medal, their first in 12 years. Neither coach was present in Paris to accept their accolades; Hayes was in the United States ahead of a match against Argentina, and Real Madrid chose not to send any representatives to the event. According to reports from AFP and Spanish media, the European champions stated their representatives would not attend “where it is not respected,” a decision made after discovering Vinicius would not be awarded the prestigious trophy. In her video message, Hayes stated, “I just want to say I’m very honoured to be awarded the first Ballon d’Or for a coach in the women’s game.” She continued, “I understand how challenging our work is. I feel a little embarrassed because we’re in a team game. I’ve been so honoured to coach such incredible people at Chelsea and the United States. This is a very proud day.”