BALLON D'OR
No Messi or Ronaldo in Ballon d’Or 2024: when was the last time?
For the second year in a row, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of the 30 nominees to win the Men’s Ballon d’Or, and so was Lionel Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly in the twilight of his career. The Portuguese forward knows that his time on the pitch is nearing its end, and although he has not yet announced his retirement, he moves increasingly distant from the global elite.
Ronaldo’s Saudi gold, not Ballon d’Or
For the second consecutive year, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star was left out of the 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or, in a list that notably also excludes his long-time rival, Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo’s numbers were solid during his season with Al Nassr, as he won the top scorer title in Saudi Arabia with 35 goals. However, as well as this being in a much lower quality league, he was also unable to secure any trophies, either with the Saudi club or with the Portugal national team, who were eliminated by France in the quarterfinals of the European Championship.
Unlike the Portuguese star, Messi was coming off winning the Ballon d’Or last year, thanks to his Copa América victory in December 2022 and a strong season with PSG in France, despite not winning the Champions League. Now, being well remunerated in Miami, the level of competition, plus his increasing injury record, is taking its toll.
The post-Messi and Cristiano era
The last time Ronaldo was among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or was in 2022, when he placed 20th in the voting, meaning he didn’t even make the top 10. To find the last time Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or, we have to go back to 2017, when he was playing for Real Madrid.
For the first time since 2003, just a year after Cristiano made his debut with Sporting Lisbon, neither he nor Messi find themselves among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or.
At 19 years old, Ronaldo was nominated for the Ballon d’Or for the first time, finishing 12th in the rankings, with Ukraine’s Andriy Shevchenko taking the prize. Messi entered the Ballon d’Or race for the first time in 2006, a year after his debut with Barcelona, finishing 21st in a ceremony where Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro was crowned the winner. Then the battle between the two really commenced.