For the first time since 2003, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi have been included in the Ballon d’Or nominees, as the 2024 men’s list was revealed on Wednesday, September 4.
Messi, who won his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2022, and Ronaldo, a five-time winner, have dominated the award for over a decade, sharing it between 2008 and 2018 until Luka Modric interrupted their streak in 2019. Their absence from the list marks the end of an era in football.
Both players have moved away from European football, with Messi now playing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer and Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
This moment signals the close of a historic chapter as a new Ballon d’Or winner is set to be crowned.
The full list of nominees includes:
- 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 – PSG
- 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
- Ruben Dias – Manchester City
- Federico Valverde – Real Madrid
- Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa
The ceremony will take place on October 28 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France.
