Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still two of international soccer’s greatest superstars, but they are not among the nominees for the game’s most prestigious award this year.
Real Madrid has the most players nominated with seven: Kylian Mbappé (France), Vinicius Junior (Brazil), Jude Bellingham (England), Federico Valverde (Uruguay), Toni Kroos (Germany), Dani Carvajal (Spain), and Antonio Rudiger (Germany).
English Premier League teams Manchester City and Arsenal have the second nomination with four.
Manchester City’s nominations are Erling Haaland (Norway), Rodri (Spain), Ruben Dias (Portugal), and Phil Foden (England).
The Arsenal players nominated are Martin Odegaard (Norway), Declan Rice (England), Bukayo Saka (England), and William Saliba (France).
Other notable players in the mix for the Ballon d'Or award are Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane (England), Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (Spain), and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez (Argentina), according to the list released on Sept. 4.
The players nominated this year represent a changing of the guard in international soccer: Messi, 37, is wrapping up his historic career in the United States for Inter Miami in MLS, and Ronaldo, 39, is playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Nonetheless, Messi is still the game’s most recognized player and has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards. In addition, he has won six European Golden Shoes, given each season to the leading goal scorer in league matches from the top division of Europe’s professional leagues.
Messi is also considered a national hero after leading Argentina to the Copa América championship in 2021 and the FIFA World Cup title in 2022. At the World Cup, he scored seven goals, including two in the final against France, and broke the record for most games played at the world tournament with 26.
After a brief stint at French club Paris Saint-Germain from 2021 to 2023, Messi moved to Inter Miami with much fanfare and a contract worth over $20.4 million a year. He also secured profit-sharing deals with Apple TV, MLS’s primary global broadcast partner, and sports apparel company Adidas.
However, Messi has been sidelined for almost two months this summer because of a sprained ankle, which could have hurt his chances of being nominated for the latest Ballon d'Or award.
Ronaldo is also one of the world’s most famous players, earning five Ballon d'Or awards. Last month, he was honored with a soccer ball trophy as the top scorer in the Champions League’s history at the tournament’s annual draw in Monaco.
Over his 23-year career, Ronaldo has scored 140 Champions League goals in 183 appearances for four teams: Sporting Clube de Portugal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. Ronaldo has finished seven separate Champions League seasons as the leading scorer—more than any other player in the competition.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the brightest stars in the UEFA Champions League constellation,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement. “His extraordinary goalscoring achievements in the competition seem destined to stand the test of time, posing a remarkable challenge for future generations to surpass.”
