The two football megastars are not on the shortlist revealed by “L’Equipe” on Wednesday evening, September 4. This has never happened since 2003.
A page is turning, for better or for worse. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are absent from the list of 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or, revealed on Wednesday evening, September 4 on the newspaper’s website The team. This is the first time that the two footballing monsters have not been in this pre-selection for the supreme individual award since 2003. The two players, who have won 13 Ballon d’Ors between them – 8 for the Argentinian, 5 for the Portuguese – are paying for their declining performances with their advanced age and their golden exiles: the first in the United States, the second in Saudi Arabia.
The last time Messi and Ronaldo were absent from this list, it was Czech Pavel Nedved who lifted the trophy. He was in good company on the podium, with Thierry Henry and Paolo Maldini, followed by Andriy Shevchenko and Zinedine Zidane.
Lionel Messi, who was the winner of the 2023 edition of the trophy, was not selected. This is the second time since 2005 that Messi, who won last year for the 8th time, has been out of the running for the most prestigious individual prize in the world of football, which will be awarded after the vote of a jury of journalists representing the top 100 nations in the Fifa rankings. The former FC Barcelona legend, who now plays for Inter Miami, had already been rejected in 2022.
Messi did lift a second Copa America this year with Argentina (after 2021) but the 37-year-old Albiceleste captain had less of an impact on his team’s success than in the past, even leaving the final in the 66th minute after an ankle injury. Cristiano Ronaldo was already absent from this list of 30 last year.
The other big names in world football are, however, present. Brazilian striker Vinicius, who is the big favourite after Real Madrid’s 15th victory in the Champions League, is there along with his two teammates Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé. Erling Haaland, English champion with Manchester City, and English striker Harry Kane, unfortunate finalist of Euro-2024, have not been forgotten.
The list also includes a large number of European champions wearing the Roja jersey (Dani Carvajal, Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal). On the French side, defender William Saliba, who performed very well at the Euro, is the only one to accompany Mbappé.
Xabi Alonso, German champion at the helm of Bayer Leverkusen, Carlo Ancelotti, winner of the Champions League with Real Madrid, and Luis de la Fuente, the Spanish coach, are the favourites for the award for coach of the season. The Italian Gian Piero Gasperini, who won the Europa League with Atalanta Bergamo, Pep Guardiola and the Argentinian coach Lionel Scaloni are the other nominees.
In the women’s category, Spain’s Aitana Bonmati will attempt the double while her FC Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona) hopes to make it three after 2021 and 2022.
