No Messi or Ronaldo among Ballon d’Or nominees as Spanish stars dominate

Both superstars are missing from the database of nominees for the archetypal clip successful 21 years, but Olympic and Euro champions Spain person six players named.

For the archetypal clip since 2003, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi person been included arsenic the nominees for the men’s Ballon d’Or award, with England’s Jude Bellingham among the 30 footballers named.

Portugal superstar Ronaldo, who has won the grant 5 times, had failed to person a information past twelvemonth also, portion Messi, who won for a grounds eighth clip successful 2023 and has been nominated 16 times, missed retired contempt Argentina’s Copa America triumph this year.

Spain, winners of Euro 2024, person six players nominated, including 17-year-old Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, on with Nico Williams, Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Olmo, Rodri and Dani Carvajal, who besides won the Champions League with Real Madrid.

Real person a full of 7 players nominated, including Kylian Mbappe who precocious signed from Paris St Germain, with Bellingham and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior among the Spanish club’s different nominees.

England, runners-up to Spain astatine Euro 2024, person 5 different nominees isolated from Bellingham: Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.

Rodri, who was named the subordinate of the tourney astatine the European Championship, said his squad deserved to person 1 of their players triumph the Ballon d’Or.

While the prestigious grant has been dominated by Spanish league players, nary Spaniard has won the prize for champion subordinate successful the satellite since Barcelona large Luis Suarez successful 1960, contempt Spain’s “golden generation” that won the 2010 World Cup, arsenic good arsenic the 2008 and 2012 Euros.

Not lone did Spain play a cleanable European Championship by winning each 7 games successful Germany, but they besides scored 15 goals, the astir by immoderate squad successful a Euros.

“Spanish shot deserves a Ballon d’Or winner,” the Manchester City subordinate said aft the final. “I’m going to beryllium honest, I would similar for a Spaniard to triumph it, I don’t attraction who. It would beryllium great.”

Asked astir his chances of winning the award, Rodri said, “I’ve heard that [Champions League winners Real Madrid’s] Dani Carvajal besides deserves it. From an idiosyncratic standpoint, I’m precise arrogant of what I americium doing and the designation I’m getting. But idiosyncratic other has to marque that assessment.”

In the women’s Ballon d’Or Feminin, Champions League winners Barcelona person six nominees successful total, including past year’s victor Aitana Bonmati and two-time victor Alexia Putellas.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony, to crown the world’s champion player, volition instrumentality spot connected October 28 successful Paris.