Ronaldo and Messi misses out on Ballon d’Or nomination, first time in 2 decades

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have neither been included as nominees for the Men’s Ballon d’Or award. This is the first time since 2004.

Ronaldo, who has won the award five times, missed out for the second time in a row. Messi, who won for a record eighth time in 2023, missed out despite Argentina’s Copa America success this year.

Ronaldo’s first nomination was in 2004, while Messi’s first was in 2006. The former won his first in 2008, while the latter was in 2009.

Messi went winning the award on a four-year streak, with Ronaldo winning his second and third the following years.

Messi and Ronaldo turned the competition into a near-two-way contest during the peak of their careers. They won it a combined 13 times from 2008-2023.

A new generation of talent has emerged in the form of Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, Bellingham and Haaland. Emerging teenage star Lamine Yamal of Spain was also nominated.

The favourites to be crowned include Real Madrid pair, Vinicius Junior and Bellingham, as well as Manchester City star, Rodri.

The award was created by France Football magazine and was first awarded to England great, Stanley Matthews in 1956.

Legends like Eusébio, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Johan Cruyff, Ronaldo and Zinédine Zidane have all won it in the past.

Spain, winners of Euro 2024, have six players nominated, including 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, along with Nico Williams, Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Olmo, Rodri and Dani Carvajal, who also won the Champions League with Real Madrid.

Real have a total of seven players nominated, including Kylian Mbappe who recently signed from Paris St Germain, with Bellingham and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior among the Spanish club’s other nominees.

England, runners-up to Spain at Euro 2024, have five other nominees apart from Bellingham: Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.

Arsenal also have four nominees with Martin Odegaard, William Saliba included aside Saka and Rice.

Nigeria and Atalanta winger, Ademola Lookman, is the only African to be included in the list.

Other notable names missing in the list are, Mohammed Salah, Rodrygo Goes, David Raya, Kobbie Mainoo, Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Victor Boniface and Soufiane Rahimi.

The full list includes; Jude Bellingham, Hakan Calhanoglou, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Lamine Yamal, Dani Carvajal, Ruben Dias, Artem Dobvyk, Phil Foden, Alejandro Grimaldo, Mats Hummels, Harry Kane, Toni Kroos, Ademola Lookman, Emiliano Martinez, Lautaro Martinez, Martin Odegaard, Dani Olmo, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Rodri, Antonio Rudiger, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Federico Valverde, Vinicius Jr., Vitinha, Nico Williams, Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony, to crown the world’s best player, will take place on October 28 in Paris.