Messi and Ronaldo left off Ballon d’Or shortlist for first time in 21 years
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Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo have made the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2003.
Messi was expected to be among the 30 nominees after leading Argentina to the Copa America trophy in July while Ronaldo has been in typically prolific form for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
But the Inter Miami striker, who won his eighth BdO last year, was not included with Ronaldo also absent.
Ce sont les meilleurs joueurs du monde…
Voici les nommés pour le Ballon d’Or Masculin 2024 !#ballondor pic.twitter.com/ttHgpt0iXr
— L’ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) September 4, 2024
It is the clearest sign yet that Messi and Ronaldo’s dominance of world football is over, perhaps not surprising given they are 37 and 39 years old respectively.
Vinicius Jnr is the favourite to land the award on October 28 after a glittering season in which he played a crucial role in Real Madrid winning a La Liga and Champions League double. His Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham is also among the favourites after a wonderful debut season at the Bernabeu.
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