The Ballon d’Or shortlist seemed just a little bit completely different in 2024.
As France Soccer journal regularly launched the 30 nominees in batches of 5, followers anticipated to see no less than the title of Lionel Messi following his Copa America win throughout the summer time, maybe even Cristiano Ronaldo after his 50 objectives for Al Nassr final season.
However when the ultimate few have been revealed, there was no Messi…and no Ronaldo both.
Ronaldo was much less of a shock. The 39-year-old already hadn’t featured in 2023 and objectively struggled to make an affect at Euro 2024 with Portugal, underlining that the Saudi Professional League is a step under the extent he left behind in Europe.
Messi has additionally departed European membership soccer, transferring to Inter Miami in 2023. However he nonetheless claimed the Ballon d’Or that yr, rewarded for Argentina’s success on the World Cup in 2022. His absence altogether from the listing of nominees was rather more of a shock.
Messi, now 37, would have been going for his record-extending ninth Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo has received 5 and the pair which have outlined the final era of elite soccer and are two of the best of all time, have a mammoth 13 Ballon d’Or trophies between them.
Between 2008 and 2017, no person else received it in any respect. Since Kaka’s triumph in 2007, Luka Modric (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022) are the one gamers to interrupt the duopoly.
Even then, Messi and Ronaldo have been every nominated in each years. However as a result of neither are in 2024, it’s the first Ballon d’Or shortlist to not function no less than certainly one of them since 2003.
Ronaldo was nominated for the primary time in 2004 off the again of his debut season with Manchester United and his breakout for Portugal at that summer time’s European Championship. At the least certainly one of them – normally each – has been on the shortlist each time since then…till now.
The world of soccer was a really completely different place in 2003. Serie A was arguably nonetheless king, but to completely give method to the Premier League and La Liga within the years that adopted.
The Ballon d’Or was received by Pavel Nedved, who had pushed Juventus to the Champions League last. The Czech winger completed significantly forward of Arsenal ahead Thierry Henry and AC Milan rock Paolo Maldini. Andriy Shevchenko and Zinedine Zidane accomplished the highest 5, whereas Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham featured within the prime ten.
The general shortlist featured as many as 50 gamers, virtually double that of at this time, with 26 of these receiving no less than one vote and the 24 others failing to earn any.
