Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi Not Ballon d'Or Nominees for First Time Since 2003

For the first time since 2003, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were left off the list of Ballon d'Or nominees.

Messi poses with the Ballon d'Or trophy before a game against New York City FC. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

One year after Lionel Messi took home his eighth Ballon d'Or trophy, the Argentine international failed to make the list of nominees for the award in 2024.

The official list of nominees for the 2024 Ballon d'Or was revealed on Wednesday, with some of the biggest stars in the sport in contention for the coveted trophy. There were a few notable omissions from the nominees, however, in the form of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Neither of the superstars was nominated for the Ballon d'Or this year, marking the first time since 2003 that both Messi and Ronaldo were excluded from the list. To put that into perspective, at least one of Messi or Ronaldo has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or every year since LeBron James was an NBA rookie.

🚨 OFFICIAL: Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi, out of the Ballon d’Or nominees for the first time since 2003. pic.twitter.com/ROmuQ3Wa5j

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 4, 2024

During much of the 2010s, the Ballon d'Or was dominated by Ronaldo and Messi. From 2008 to 2018, there was not a single winner outside of the Portuguese and Argentine internationals, up until Croatian and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric took home the prize in 2019.

Ronaldo has won the prestigious award five times in his career, while Messi has taken home the Ballon d'Or eight times. Of course, their time in Europe has concluded, with Ronaldo playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr while Messi is in the U.S. playing for MLS side Inter Miami.

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