Ballon d’Or: Messi, Ronaldo and Other Major Omissions in 2024 Nominee List
- Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were included in the nominee list for the 2024 Ballon d'Or award, as expected
- The reigning holder, Lionel Messi, is out of contention after failing to make it to the list for the October ceremony
- Briefly News looks at some top players who were omitted from the nominee list despite sensational performances last season
The 2024 Ballon d'Or award race became clearer on 4 September after the organisers released the nominee list for the various categories.
After a stellar season with Real Madrid, the perceived frontrunners Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were included. Manchester City's Rodri has also gained traction in recent months.
Source: Getty Images
Aitana Bonmati leads the women's list. The Barcelona Women's midfielder is looking to become the second woman to win back-to-back awards.
After his record-breaking season with Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso is the favourite for the newly created Men's Coach of the Year Award. Former Chelsea Women's manager, now USWNT coach Emma Hayes leads the fray for the Women's Coach of the Year Award.
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Ballon d'Or 2024 major omissions
However, as the dust settled after the nominees were announced, fans started questioning why some names had been left out. Briefly News looks at the major snubs for this year's award.
4. Rodrygo - Real Madrid/Brazil
Real Madrid had the most representatives of any side in the world in this year's award, but surprisingly, Rodrygo was not included.
Much has been said about his inferior role at Real Madrid, but the Brazilian has been consistent with Carlo Ancelotti. According to Transfermarkt, he finished last season with 17 goals and 9 assists. Of the 17 goals, he had three critical contributions in the Champions League latter stages.
Reactions to the news:
Here are some of the responses from social media users.
@TwoTerty_:
He has been robbed. How is Lamine Yamal there and not him? "
@TheNassrZone:
"He should’ve been nominated."
@a_derll:
"This is soo unfair to football."
His reaction on Instagram after being excluded was telling.
3. Mohamed Salah - Liverpool/Egypt
Mohamed Salah establishing himself as one of the Premier League's finest players is no longer in question. The quick Egyptian often finds a way to be on the goal contributions leaderboard, no matter how poor of a season he is having.
Reactions to the news:
Here are some of the responses to the post.
@Addiynwa:
"Most disrespected player of our generation."
@footballinggod5:
"Yeah that’s wild."
@NiiOdarteyy:
"Salah is disrespected so much."
He might no longer be competing for the Golden Boot award due to the presence of one Erling Haaland, but his 18 goals and 10 assists return in Jurgen Klopp's final season in the Premier League was insane.
The 32-year-old was rocked hard by the injury that curtailed his participation at AFCON 2023.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - Al-Nassr/Portugal
Despite every obstacle he has overcome in his career, it was always going to be difficult for Ronaldo to make any significant headway in the Ballon d'Or while playing outside of Europe.
For the second year running, the five-time winner missed the nominees list. Admittedly, it was a challenging year all around for Ronaldo trophy-wise. Al-Hilal pipped Al-Nassr to the Saudi Pro League title, while his Portuguese side was eliminated in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
However, his fans believe his 57 goals and 16 assists deserved a place on the nominee list.
Reactions to the post:
Here are some of the responses from social media users.
@oddspedia:
"The world is not the same anymore."
@julivanespi:
"Wild times."
@CFC_Rahmann:
"End of an era."
1. Lionel Messi - Inter Miami/Argentina
You know the script - wherever Ronaldo is, Lionel Messi is closely behind. The Argentine is the reigning holder, but he won't have a chance to defend his title next month. And, like Ronaldo, you sort of understand why.
With no participation in the Champions League, it is difficult to put yourself on the same pedestal as other nominees. Messi has had one of the most injury-riddled campaigns of his career but still played a part in Argentina's successful Copa America title defence.
According to the Messi vs Ronaldo App, the former Barcelona captain had 31 goals and 18 assists in 41 appearances, but like his nemesis above, that wasn't enough to convince the organisers.
Other mentions
Virgil Van Dijk, Antoine Griezmann, Jeremy Frimpong, Jamal Musiala and Viktor Gyokeres are all players who a section of fans thought deserved a place in the final 30.
Messi, Ronaldo make unusual Ballon d'Or history
Briefly News has also reported that this is the first time neither Messi nor Ronaldo has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or award.
It is undoubtedly a significant change of guard, with a new face set to win the award for only the third time in the last 15 years.
The two, combined with 13 awards, have dominated the award since 2008, with only Luka Modric (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022) breaking the duopoly.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
