Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi Miss Ballon d’Or Nominations for the First Time in Over 20 Years
For the first time in over two decades, football legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are not nominated for the Ballon d’Or. Messi, who has won the award 8 times, and Ronaldo, who has won it 5 times, are absent from the list of 30 nominees.
Messi currently plays for Inter Miami in the United States, where he helped the club win their first trophy. Ronaldo is playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
The list of 30 nominees includes notable players like Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Kylian Mbappe. Bellingham was nominated for his impressive debut season with Real Madrid and helping England reach the Euro 2024 final. Other nominees include Rodri, Dani Carvajal, Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo, and Alejandro Grimaldo from Spain, as well as Emiliano Martinez, the golden glove winner of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Here is the full list of nominees:
| Jude Bellingham | Vinicius Junior | Rodri | Dani Carvajal |
| Bukayo Saka | Ruben Dias | William Saliba | Fede Valverde |
| Cole Palmer | Lamine Yamal | Erling Haaland | Kylian Mbappe |
| Toni Kroos | Martin Odegaard | Emiliano Martinez | Granit Xhaka |
| Artem Dovbyk | Harry Kane | Mats Hummels | Hakan Calhanoglu |
| Nico Williams | Phil Foden | Florian Wirtz | Dani Olmo |
| Declan Rice | Vitinha | Ademola Lookman | Lautaro Martinez |
| Alejandro Grimaldo | Antonio Rudiger |
Doubts Revealed
Ballon d’Or -: The Ballon d’Or is a special award given every year to the best football player in the world. It’s like a big golden ball trophy.
Cristiano Ronaldo -: Cristiano Ronaldo is a very famous football player from Portugal. He has won many awards and is known for his amazing skills on the field.
Lionel Messi -: Lionel Messi is another very famous football player, but he is from Argentina. He is also known for his incredible talent and has won many awards.
Nominations -: Nominations are like a list of people who are chosen to possibly win an award. If you are nominated, it means you have a chance to win.
Decades -: A decade is a period of 10 years. So, two decades means 20 years.
Jude Bellingham -: Jude Bellingham is a young and talented football player from England. He is known for his great performances on the field.
Vinicius Junior -: Vinicius Junior is a football player from Brazil. He is known for his speed and skill in playing football.
Kylian Mbappe -: Kylian Mbappe is a football player from France. He is very fast and is considered one of the best young players in the world.
Inter Miami -: Inter Miami is a football club in the United States. Lionel Messi plays for this team now.
Al-Nassr -: Al-Nassr is a football club in Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo plays for this team now.
