For the first time since 2006, Lionel Messi is not in the running to win the Ballon d’Or. The 30 nominees for the latest edition of football’s most prestigious individual accolade were officially announced on Friday evening, with the seven-time winner missing out entirely.
Messi endured a slightly tough first season at Paris Saint-Germain in 2021/22, scoring only 11 goals across all competitions.
He did assist a further 15 from his 34 appearances, though. Those numbers are still pretty darn good in our opinion, but clearly weren’t enough to sway the Ballon d’Or judges over at France Football, who instead opted for the likes of Rafael Leao, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Dusan Vlahovic.
On the flip side, Messi’s eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo received a record-extending 19th nomination after bagging 24 goals in a poor Manchester United side last season.