On Monday, Carlo Ancelotti announced the 26-man squad that will represent Brazil at the World Cup.

The squad included many established names in the national team and a few surprises – selections that quickly became a cause for celebration amongst fans across the country.

But among those selected, how many have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or or won other awards at the ceremony?

Let’s take a closer look.

Carlo Ancelotti (manager)

It is only fitting to start with the manager himself.

At 66, Carlo Ancelotti is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers in the history of football. His CV encompasses practically everything a manager can achieve – including a record five Champions League titles.

Among these achievements is the Johan Cruyff Trophy, awarded to the best manager of the season, which the Italian won at the 2024 ceremony after leading Real Madrid to La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League titles.

Speaking of Madrid, Ancelotti left the club last year having already cemented his status as a legend of the ‘Blancos’, having amassed 15 titles across two spells.

The squad he managed was also nominated for the Club of the Year award in 2022 and went on to win the honour in 2024.

Alisson (goalkeeper)

Since arriving at Liverpool in 2018, Alisson has established himself as one of the team’s pillars and one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation.

He was nominated for the Ballon d’Or twice – in 2018 and 2019 – and for the Yashin Trophy three times – in 2019, 2022 and 2025. It was in 2019 that he won the award for the world’s best goalkeeper.

In that first edition of the Yashin Trophy, Alisson was recognised for his decisive role in Brazil’s Copa América victory and for Liverpool’s campaign towards their first Champions League title in over a decade.

The English side from that period also featured among the nominees for the Club of the Year award in 2022 and returned to the list in 2025.

Ederson (goalkeeper)

Like Alisson, Ederson has also built a reputation as one of the great goalkeepers of his generation.

The former Manchester City first-choice goalkeeper was among the nominees for the Yashin Trophy in 2019, 2021 and 2023 – the season in which he played a key role in the club’s historic first Champions League triumph.

Known for his quality with his feet and his active involvement in building play, the Brazilian was also part of the City squad nominated for the Club of the Year award in 2024, before moving to Fenerbahçe last year.

Marquinhos (defender)

Of the nine defenders selected by Ancelotti, only one has previously been nominated for the Ballon d’Or: Marquinhos.

The centre-back received the nomination in 2019 following a solid season with Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazilian national team, winning Ligue 1 and the Copa América.

In the years that followed, he continued to cement his status as a defensive mainstay at PSG, captaining the club to their first Champions League title last year. The historic campaign also earned the Parisian side the Club of the Year award, with Marquinhos at the helm.

Now, he will have the chance to further build on that legacy in this season’s Champions League final against Arsenal.

Casemiro (midfielder)

When it comes to defensive midfielders, few names in the current generation boast a CV comparable to Casemiro’s.

The tough and tenacious veteran will be one of Brazil’s leaders at the World Cup and arrives backed by a career full of titles – especially at Real Madrid, where he worked for years with Ancelotti.

His Ballon d’Or nomination came in 2022, his farewell season at the Spanish club, after helping Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League.

That squad was also among the nominees for the Club of the Year award.

Danilo (midfielder)

Danilo has the most indirect link on this list to the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

The young midfielder joined Botafogo from Nottingham Forest in July last year, shortly before ‘Fogão’ were nominated for the Club of the Year award.

The two stories, however, barely intersect: the nomination was driven by Botafogo’s extraordinary 2024 campaign, of which Danilo was not yet a part.

Even so, since his arrival, Danilo has proven to be an extremely valuable player for the team. To date, he is the club’s top scorer this season, with 10 goals.

Fabinho (midfielder)

Fabinho is one of two players in the squad who currently play in Saudi Arabia, having represented Al-Ittihad since 2023.

Shortly before the move, however, he enjoyed one of the best spells of his career at Liverpool.

In 2022, he was nominated for the Ballon d’Or after helping the club win the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, as well as guiding the Reds to the Champions League final. Despite the defeat to Real Madrid, the midfielder was named in the UEFA Team of the Season for the competition.

That season’s Liverpool side was also among the nominees for the Club of the Year award.

Luiz Henrique (forward)

Now at Zenit, Luiz Henrique still has a recent connection with Brazilian football.

With speed, physical strength and dribbling ability, the “Black Panther” was one of the key players in the Botafogo side that made history in 2024. The team won the Brazilian Serie A and the Libertadores, and was eventually nominated for the Club of the Year award at the following ceremony. In the continental final against Atlético Mineiro, he scored the first goal of the match.

Since then, Henrique has also established himself as a key option on the right flank of the national team’s attack.

Neymar (forward)

When Ancelotti announced Neymar’s name on Monday, the reaction was immediate: celebration.

It was the number 10’s first call-up in over a year and his debut in squads selected by the Italian manager – a hiatus marked by injuries and physical difficulties.

The all-time leading scorer in the history of the Brazilian national team, with 79 goals, Neymar will be competing in his fourth World Cup as he attempts to add the title that is still missing from his career.

Few players have such a long association with the Ballon d'Or.

Neymar has nine nominations – more than any other player in this squad.

His first came in 2011, when he was just 19 and dazzling Brazilian football for Santos. He became one of the rare players to be nominated whilst playing outside Europe.

His performances for ‘Peixe’ also earned him nominations in 2012 and 2013 – and brought countless trophies to Vila Belmiro. The most significant of these, of course, was the 2011 Copa Libertadores title – the club’s first since the Pelé era in the 1960s.

After leaving Santos to play in Europe, Neymar continued to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or consecutively until 2018. These nominations were mainly linked to his successes with Barcelona, with whom he won two La Liga titles and a Champions League, and with Paris Saint-Germain, with whom he won five consecutive Ligue 1 titles.

His last nomination came in 2021, whilst he was still playing in Paris, and his best results came in 2015 and 2017, when he finished third, behind only record-holder Lionel Messi – an eight-time winner – and Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time winner.

Now, facing what could be his last World Cup, Neymar will attempt to add another chapter to his career – and perhaps return to the radar for the award.

Raphinha (forward)

Raphinha joined Xavi’s Barcelona in 2022, but it was under Hansi Flick that he made the definitive leap. With performances of the highest calibre, he has become one of the most important and beloved figures in the squad.

In last year’s La Liga title-winning campaign, he scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists, being named La Liga Player of the Season. He also shone in the Champions League: his 13 goals saw him finish as the tournament’s joint top scorer alongside Serhou Guirassy.

His performance earned him fifth place in the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

Vinícius Júnior (forward)

After Neymar, no player in this shortlist has had such a remarkable track record at the ceremony as Vinícius Júnior.

Despite being only 25 years old, the Real Madrid forward has already established himself among the leading names in world football. Since joining the club in 2018, he has won three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues, playing a decisive role in the 2022 and 2024 European campaigns and scoring goals in both finals.

His first appearance at the ceremony came in 2019, when he was nominated for the Kopa Trophy following his debut season in Spain.

Since then, he has regularly featured among the Ballon d’Or nominees, receiving consecutive nominations since 2022.

The highlight came in 2024, when he finished as runner-up, behind only Rodri.

In addition to his achievements on the pitch, Vini also received the Sócrates Award in 2023 for his work against racism and for founding the Vini Jr. Institute, an initiative focused on education and social inclusion in Brazil.

In summary

So, that’s it – these are Ancelotti’s squad members who, in one way or another, have already had their names linked to the Ballon d’Or.

Together, they will try to turn individual prestige into a collective achievement, seeking Brazil’s first World Cup title since 2002.

Will they succeed?