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

Both superstars are missing from the list of nominees for the first time in 21 years, but Olympic and Euro champions Spain have six players named.

For the first time since 2003, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi have been included as 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 award five times, had failed to receive a nomination last year also, while Messi, who won for a record eighth time in 2023 and has been nominated 16 times, missed out despite Argentina’s Copa America win this year.

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

Real have a total of seven players nominated, including Kylian Mbappe who recently signed from Paris St Germain, with Bellingham and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior among the Spanish club’s other nominees.

England, runners-up to Spain at Euro 2024, have five other nominees apart from Bellingham: Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.