For the first time in 20 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will not be among the nominees for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. This marks the end of an era where the two football legends dominated the conversation.
Messi, a record eight-time winner, and Ronaldo, who has taken home the prize five times, did not make the 30-player shortlist announced on Wednesday. The 2024 Ballon d’Or will be presented on October 28.
This year’s list features rising stars and established players like Vinicius Junior, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane.
Real Madrid teammates Vinicius and Bellingham were key in their club’s LaLiga and Champions League success last season.
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Haaland had a standout year, leading the Premier League in goals, while Kane did the same for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Mbappé, after six seasons at PSG, finally made his anticipated move to Madrid earlier this summer.
While Messi, now 37, is recovering from injury with Inter Miami, he claimed the Ballon d’Or last year and won his first back in 2009. He and Ronaldo turned the award into a near two-man race, sharing the honor 13 times between 2008 and 2021.
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On the women’s side, five U.S. stars—Lindsey Horan, Alyssa Naeher, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson—made the list following their gold medal victory at the 2024 Olympics.
Spain, who finished fourth at the Olympics but claimed the World Cup title a year earlier, saw five of its players nominated, including Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, the latter having won the award twice. England, runners-up at the 2023 World Cup, also has three nominees: Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, and Lucy Bronze.
As we await the big night on October 28, the absence of Messi and Ronaldo from the shortlist signals a changing of the guard in world football.