Lionel Messi will not be winning the Ballon d’Or for a record-extending eighth time in 2022. After a fairly mediocre debut season at Paris Saint-Germain, the little genius was not one of the 30 official nominees for the latest edition of the award.
It’s the first time since 2005 that Messi is not in the running to scoop the individual accolade, which further highlights his insane consistency at the very highest level.
The 35-year-old won the Ballon d’Or for a seventh time last year after he guided Argentina to Copa America glory. Robert Lewandowski was Messi’s closest competitor in the voting, but Barcelona‘s latest superstar signing fell agonisingly short by just 33 points.
If the Polish striker had won, no one could have complained. He scored goals for fun at Bayern Munich and should have been awarded the Ballon d’Or in 2020, when it was controversially put on hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.