For the first time since 2003, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were excluded from the list of nominees for the Ballon d’Or, marking a significant shift in the football landscape.
Both players have dominated the prestigious award for nearly two decades, with Messi holding a record eight wins and Ronaldo five.
However, neither appeared among the 30 contenders announced on Wednesday for this year’s prize, which will be awarded on October 28.
This year’s nominees include notable talents such as Vinicius Junior, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane.
Vinicius and Bellingham played pivotal roles in Real Madrid’s La Liga victory and their 16th Champions League title last season, while Haaland was the Premier League’s top scorer, and Kane achieved the same feat in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich.
Mbappé also completed a long-anticipated transfer to Real Madrid this summer after six seasons at PSG.
Messi, currently recovering from an injury at Inter Miami, took home the Ballon d’Or last year. His first win came in 2009, kicking off a four-year streak of dominance, and his name first appeared on the nominee list in 2006.
Ronaldo made his debut as a Ballon d’Or nominee in 2004. Together, they captured the award 13 times between 2008 and 2021, turning it into a two-man contest for most of their careers.
On the women’s side, five players from the U.S. national team—Lindsey Horan, Alyssa Naeher, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson—were nominated, following their triumph in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Spain, despite finishing fourth at the Olympics, has five players nominated: Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, Patri Guijarro, Salma Paralluelo, and Alexia Putellas.
Spanish players have won the Ballon d’Or Féminin for the past three years, with Bonmatí claiming it in 2023 and Putellas winning twice before that.
England, the runner-up in the 2023 World Cup final, also boasts three nominees: Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, and Lucy Bronze.