The Ballon d’Or shortlist for this year was revealed on Wednesday during a live stream by L’Equipe, bringing some surprising omissions and notable inclusions.
Ademola Lookman, the Nigerian forward currently playing for Atalanta, stands out as the sole African player to make the prestigious list. The announcement also featured prominent names like Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, both of whom secured nominations.
However, the most striking aspect of this year’s shortlist is the absence of two football legends, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. This marks the first time since 2003 that neither player has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or. Back in 2003, the award was won by Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved.
Below is the full list of players shortlisted for football’s most coveted individual award:
- Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid
- Kylian Mbappe – Real Madrid
- Lautaro Martinez – Inter
- Ademola Lookman– Atalanta
- Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen
- Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid
- William Saliba– Arsenal
- Lamine Yamal– Barcelona
- Bukayo Saka– Arsenal
- Hakan Calhanoglu– Inter
- Rodri– Manchester City
- Declan Rice– Arsenal
- Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
- Cole Palmer– Chelsea
- Vitinha – Paris Saint-Germain
- Vinicius Jr – Real Madrid
- Martin Odegaard – Arsenal
- Dani Olmo – Barcelona
- Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen
- Mats Hummels– Roma
- Erling Haaland – Manchester City
- Nicolas Williams– Athletic Bilbao
- Granit Xhaka– Bayer Leverkusen
- Artem Dovbik– Roma
- Toni Kroos– Real Madrid
- Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid
- Phil Foden – Manchester City
- Ruben Dias – Manchester City
- Federico Valverde– Real Madrid
- Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa
The absence of Messi and Ronaldo, who have dominated the award for over two decades, marks the end of an era. Their exclusion signifies a new chapter in world football, as other talents rise to claim the spotlight.
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