For the first time since 2003, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo are on the list of 30 players nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

Early in the morning of September 5, Hanoi time, France Football magazine announced the nominations for the Golden Ball award categories. Of which, the Golden Ball for men was announced last, with 30 players, such as Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Rodri, Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal.

Ronaldo (left) and Messi. Photo: AFP

The last time Ronaldo or Messi were not on the list of nominees was in 2003 , when the Portuguese forward had just moved to Man Utd and the Argentine talent had yet to make his debut for Barca’s first team. In 2004, Ronaldo was nominated for the Ballon d’Or for the first time, finishing joint 12th with Milan Baros, opening a 19-year streak of nominations featuring either him or Messi.

Ronaldo still holds the record of 18 Ballon d’Or nominations, while Messi has also appeared on the list 16 times. Last year, 2023, Ronaldo was not nominated for the first time in 20 years, while Messi won the Ballon d’Or , followed by the Silver Ball Erling Haaland and the Bronze Ball Kylian Mbappe.

The absence of two football superstars from the Ballon d’Or is not surprising, because they are no longer playing in Europe. All 30 players nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or are playing for a club in the top five European leagues. Ronaldo is 39 years old and did not score a goal at Euro 2024, while Messi is 37 years old and did not stand out when Argentina won the Copa America.

One player who is a teammate of Ronaldo is nominated, Portuguese midfielder Vitinha, who plays for PSG. Meanwhile, Messi has two teammates on this list, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and striker Lautaro Martinez, both from Argentina.

The voting criteria for the award still follow three factors, including individual performance, collective achievements in the 2023-2024 season and class. According to bookmakers, Vinicius and Rodri have the best chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, with the Brazilian striker’s odds being twice as high as the Spanish midfielder’s. If he wins the award, Rodri will be the first Premier League player to win the Ballon d’Or since Ronaldo in 2008 with Man Utd.

Vinicius (white shirt) competes with Rodri during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final match between Real Madrid and Man City at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain on April 9, 2024. Photo: AP

For the men’s Ballon d’Or , journalists from each country with a team in the FIFA Top 100 will be selected to form a panel to judge the 30 nominees. Each journalist will select five players, with scores of 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 respectively. The player with the highest total score will win the Ballon d’Or.

In other categories, the biggest surprise is probably goalkeeper Ronwen Williams being nominated for the Yashin award, despite playing in South Africa. Coach Xabi Alonso has a good chance of winning the award after leading Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title. And in the men’s youth player award, Yamal is almost certain to be honored.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on October 28, 2024 at the Chatelet Theater in Paris, France. Messi holds the record for winning eight Ballons d’Or, while Ronaldo is second with five awards. No player born after the 8x generation has won this award.

List of nominations for some categories

Men’s Golden Ball : Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe, Lautaro Martinez, Ademola Lookman, Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Carvajal, William Saliba, Lamine Yamal, Bukayo Saka, Hakan Calhanoglu, Rodri, Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Cole Palmer, Vitinha, Vinicius Jr , Martin Odegaard, Dani Olmo, Florian Wirtz, Mats Hummels, Erling Haaland, Nicolas Williams, Granit Xhaka, Artem Dovbik, Toni Kroos, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, Federico Valverde, Emiliano Martinez.

Men’s coach : Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, Luis de la Fuente, Gian Piero Gasperini, Pep Guardiola, Lionel Scaloni.

Men’s goalkeepers : Diogo Costa, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Gregor Kobel, Andriy Lunin, Mike Maignan, Giorgi Mamardachvili, Emiliano Martinez, Unai Simon, Yann Sommer, Ronwen Williams.

Young male players : Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Garnacho, Arda Guler, Karim Konate, Kobbie Mainoo, Joao Neves, Savinho, Mathys Tel, Lamine Yamal, Warren Zaire-Emery.