Lionel Messi has been left off the 30-man list of Ballon d’Or nominees for the first time since 2005 after the contenders were announced by France Football on Friday.
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema leads the nominees as he bids to win the first Ballon d’Or award of his career. Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland were also included in the list of this year’s nominees.
There was also no place for Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain teammate Neymar.
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Three United States women’s national team players feature among the 20 nominees for the Women’s Ballon d’Or — Catarina Macario, Alex Morgan and Trinity Rodman.
Last year’s winner Alexia Putellas is one of five Barcelona players on the list despite suffering a serious knee injury on the eve of this summer’s European Championships, while there are spots for three players who helped England to Euros glory, Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze and Beth Mead.
The big surprise, though, came in the men’s nominees when Messi’s run of 15 consecutive nominations, featuring seven wins, comes to an end after a disappointing first season at PSG following his shock move from Barcelona last year. The 35-year-old scored just 11 goals in all competitions last season.
France international Benzema has enjoyed a sensational year after playing an influential role in helping Madrid win the LaLiga and Champions League double last season.
The 34-year-old finished the 2021-22 campaign as LaLiga top scorer with 27 goals while he scored in every Champions League knockout round, and also missed out on scoring in the final after seeing a goal disallowed.
He also picked up silverware on the international stage after helping France clinch the UEFA Nations League in October with a goal in the 2-1 victory over Spain.
The striker is the favourite to pick up the Ballon d’Or after the award decided to undergo radical changes this year.
Messi’s 2021 success over Lewandowski was a controversial pick in the eyes of the football world and France Football later announced that the award period will fall in line with the main European season rather than entire calendar year.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has also been nominated for the award after a stellar campaign. The forward shared the Premier League Golden Boot with fellow Ballon d’Or nominee Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-Min and was named the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year. He also took the top honour from the Football Writers’ Association.
The list of women’s nominees also features five players who helped Lyon defeat Barcelona to win the Champions League last season. As well as Macario, there is recognition for Selma Bacha, Christine Endler, Aga Hegerberg and Wendie Renard.
Germany leads the way with three nominees for the Kopa Trophy, which celebrates the best men’s players under the age of 21. Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi, Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz all make the list, as do England dup Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka as well as Real Madrid’s Champions League winner Eduardo Camavinga and Barcelona wonderkid Gavi.
Real Madrid’s Champions League final hero Thibaut Courtois leads the nominees for the Yachine Trophy given to the best goalkeeper.
Ballon d’Or nominees
Thibaut Courtois
Rafael Leao
Christopher Nkunku
Mohamed Salah
Joshua Kimmich
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Vinicius Jr.
Bernardo Silva
Luis Diaz
Robert Lewandowski
Riyad Mahrez
Casemiro
Son Heung-min
Fabinho
Karim Benzema
Mike Maignan
Harry Kane
Darwin Nunez
Phil Foden
Sadio Mane
Sebastian Haller
Luka Modric
Antonio Rudiger
Cristiano Ronaldo
Kevin De Bruyne
Dusan Vlahovic
Virgil van Dijk
Joao Cancelo
Kylian Mbappe
Erling Haaland
Ballon d’Or Feminin nominees
Selma Bacha
Fridolina Rolfo
Vivianne Miedema
Lucy Bronze
Sam Kerr
Christine Endler
Lena Oberdorf
Kadidatou Diani
Catarina Macario
Alexia Putellas
Alexandra Popp
Aitana Bonmati
Wendie Renard
Alex Morgan
Beth Mead
Asisat Oshoala
Marie-Antoinette Katoti
Millie Bright
Trinity Rodman
Ada Hegerberg
Kopa Trophy nominees
Karim Adeyemi
Jude Bellingham
Eduardo Camavinga
Gavi
Ryan Gravenberch
Nuno Mendes
Jamal Musiala
Josko Gvardiol
Bukayo Saka
Florian Wirtz
Yachine Trophy nominees
Yassine Bounou
Alisson Becker
Thibaut Courtois
Ederson
Mika Maignan
Edouard Mendy
Manuel Neuer
Jan Oblak
Kevin Trapp
Hugo Lloris
