Messi, Ronaldo Snubbed As Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman Makes 2024 Ballon d’Or Shortlist

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who dominated the Ballon d’Or for over two decades, missed out on nominations for this year’s award.

This marks the first time since 2003 that both players are absent from the prestigious 30-man shortlist.

The Ballon d’Or nominations have long been dominated by the illustrious duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with Messi holding the record for the most wins at eight and Ronaldo securing five.

Yet, their surprising exclusion from the recent list marks a significant paradigm shift in the world of soccer.

This development paves the way for emerging stars like Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior to occupy the limelight.

Nigerian footballer, Ademola Lookman, has secured a well-deserved spot on this year’s prestigious Ballon d’Or list, courtesy of his exceptional performance in the preceding year, which was capped off by an outstanding hat-trick in the UEFA Cup final against Bayer Leverkusen.

Other notable additions to the 2024 roster include teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal and the reigning women’s Ballon d’Or champion, Aitana Bonmati, who has earned a successive nomination.

Furthermore, American talents Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Lindsey Horan have also been recognized with inclusions on the women’s list.

Ballon d’or 2024 nominees

Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England

Ruben Dias – Man City/Portugal

Phil Foden – Man City/England

Federico Valverde – Real Madrid/Uruguay

Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa/Argentina

Erling Haaland – Man City/Norway

Nico Williams – Athletic Club/Spain

Granit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen/Switzerland

Artem Dovbyk – Girona/Roma/Ukraine

Toni Kroos – Real Madrid/Germany

Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid/Brazil

Dani Olmo – RB Leipzig/Barcelona/Spain

Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen/Germany

Martin Odegaard – Arsenal/Norway

Mats Hummels – Borussia Dortmund/Roma/Germany

Rodri – Man City/Spain

Harry Kane – Bayern Munich/England

Declan Rice- Arsenal/England

Vitinha – PSG/Portugal

Cole Palmer – Chelsea/England

Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid/Spain

Lamine Yamal – Barcelona/Spain

Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England

Hakan Calhanoglu – Inter/Turkey

William Saliba – Arsenal/France

Kylian Mbappe – PSG/Real Madrid/France

Lautaro Martinez – Inter/Argentina

Ademola Lookman – Atalanta/Nigeria

Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid/Germany

Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen/Spain