2022 Ballon d'Or nominees: Lionel Messi, Neymar snubbed in 30-man shortlist

The moment we’ve been waiting for is here. On Friday, France Football released announced the 30 nomineesfor the2022 Ballon d’Or. The winner will be knownonOctober 17, in a ceremony to be held at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

For the first time since 2005, Lionel Messi didn’t makethe cut. The Argentine star, who holds the record for most Ballon d’Ors won, had won the prize last year in a decision that sparked controversy, as many thought Robert Lewandowski deserved it more than him.

The Ballon d’Or criteria has changed this year, taking into account the typical club season rather than the calendar year. With that in mind, Messi’s omission maybe explained by his lackluster2021-22 campaign in his first year since leaving Barcelona. Even so, to overlookone of, if not the best playerof all time in a list of 30 players is very questionable.PSG teammate Neymar was also snubbed in the 30-man shortlist.

2022 Ballon d’Or nominees: 30-man shortlist released without Messi, Neymar

While Messi and Neymar were not nominated, Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe was included in the shortlist and is among the favorites to win the award. Vinicius Junior is also a heavy candidate, but Real Madrid goalscoring machine Karim Benzema is without any doubt the frontrunner after a fantastic season.

2022 Ballon d’Or Nominees:

1. Thibaut Courtois
2. Rafael Leão
3. Christopher Nkunku
4. Mohamed Salah
5. Joshua Kimmich
6. Trent Alexander-Arnold
7. Vinicius JR
8. Bernardo Silva
9. Luis Díaz
10. Robert Lewandowski
11. Riyad Mahrez
12. Casemiro
13. Heung-Min Son
14. Fabinho
15. Karim Benzema
16. Mike Maignan
17. Harry Kane
18. Darwin Núñez
19. Phil Foden
20. Sadio Mané
21. Sébastien Haller
22. Luka Modrić
23. Antonio Rüdiger
24. Cristiano Ronaldo
25. Kevin De Bruyne
26. Dušan Vlahović
27. Virgil van Dijk
28. João Cancelo
29. Kylian Mbappé
30. Erling Haaland