The list of nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or was released this Wednesday. It includes 30 prestigious names. And, curiously, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not among them.
Ronaldo and Messi, end of hegemony
To find a list of nominees for the BO without Ronaldo or Messi we have to go back to 2003. Since then, there has been at least one of the two who was considered among the contenders. During the period in question, the duo also shared 13 of the 20 Ballons d’Or up for grabs.
Asked to justify the absence of the two giants, Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of France Football, declared that for him, “It’s not a scandal.” “It’s a logical progression. They are no longer in the top 30 players of the season,” he added.
There will be an unprecedented Ballon d’Or winner
With these absences, and also those of Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, we are also certain that the future winner of the Ballon d’Or will be an unprecedented winner.
Let’s also note that Messi is the holder of the trophy and he will not be able to defend his property. This is not an unprecedented situation. Modric had also experienced a similar decline in 2019.
In addition to the players mentioned, international stars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Bernardo Silva or Julian Alvarez have also been forgotten.
