The year 2024 brought a significant change to the awards landscape, as it marks the first time in a long while that neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo made the final shortlist for the Ballon d’Or.
The last time both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were simultaneously absent from the Ballon d’Or nominations was in 2003, when the award went to Czech player Pavel Nedved. Individually, Messi was not nominated in 2022, while Ronaldo missed out last year. Incredibly, it took over 20 years for both soccer legends to miss out on this nomination.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that from 2004 to 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo was nominated continuously for the Ballon d’Or. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi received his first nomination in 2006 and was a fixture in the shortlist at every ceremony, except for 2022.
FIFA Ballon d’Or nominees Manuel Neuer of Germany and FC Bayern Munich, Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid (L-R) attends a press conference prior to the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala 2014 at the Kongresshaus on January 12, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland.
The final list of the 30 nominees
- Jude Bellingham
- Ruben Dias
- Phil Foden
- Federico Valverde
- Emiliano Martinez
- Nico Williams
- Erling Haaland
- Toni Kross
- Granit Xhaka
- Artem Dovbik
- Dani Olmo
- Vinicius Jr
- Martin Odegaard
- Mats Hummels
- Florian Wirtz
- Harry Kane
- Rodri
- Declan Rice
- Vitinha
- Cole Palmer
- Lamine Yamal
- Dani Carvajal
- Bukayo Saka
- Hakan Calhanoglu
- William Saliba
- Kylian Mbappe
- Lautaro Martinez
- Ademola Lookman
- Antonio Rudiger
- Alejandro Grimaldo
Greatest winners in Ballon d’Or history
As widely known, the greatest winner of this prestigious award is Argentine Lionel Messi, who holds a record eight trophies (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023). Trailing behind him is a notable list of other successful players:
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
- Michel Platini: 3 (1983, 1984, 1985)
- Johan Cruyff: 3 (1971, 1973, 1974)
- Marco Van Basten: 3 (1988, 1989, 1992)
In addition to these great players, others had the privilege of receiving this notable distinction. Among them are: Franz Beckenbauer, Ronaldo Nazario, Alfredo Di Stefano, Ronaldinho, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Eusebio, Zinadine Zidane, Lothar Matthaus, and other great football players.
Lionel Messi attends the 67th Ballon D’Or Ceremony at Theatre Du Chatelet on October 30, 2023 in Paris, France.
Yachine Trophy Nominees
The Yachine Trophy, awarded for the best goalkeeper in the world, highlights exceptional talent between the posts. The goalkeeper, perhaps the most thankless position in the entire team, also receives the recognition they deserve for their achievements during the last season.
Here are some of the notable nominees:
- Diogo Costa
- Gianluigi Donnaruma
- Gregor Kobel
- Andrei Lounine
- Mike Maignan
- Giorgi Mamardachvili
- Emiliano Martinez
- Unai Simon
- Yann Sommer
- Ronwen Williams
