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The nominees for the 2024 Ballon d'Or were announced by France Football yesterday, September 8. The 30-man shortlist heavily featured players from Spain and Real Madrid.
The Spanish national side, which won the 2024 Euros has six representatives and is only bettered by the 2023/24 Champions League winners with seven.
Manchester City's Rodri is one of the favourites to win the golden orb. He was pivotal for the Premier League side as they sealed their fourth league title in a row. He was also awarded the best player of the tournament at the 2024 European Championship. Rodri's fellow Euro-winning teammates Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Dani Carvajal, and Alejandro Grimaldo were also nominated.
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Real Madrid's trio of Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappe will be challenging the midfielder for the award. The latter joined Los Blancos earlier this summer after winning Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain while the other two won the Champions League and La Liga last season.
Here's the complete list of the players shortlisted for the award, which will be announced on Monday, October 28:
The 30-man shortlist doesn't have any previous winner of the Ballon d'Or, which guarantees a first-time winner of the award. Plenty of big names were omitted from the list.
Let's look at the five most deserving players to have missed out on the shortlist.
Honorable mentions: Serhou Guirrassy, Jamal Musiala, and Alisson Becker
Ballon d'Or 2024: 5 deserving players who missed out
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently plying his trade at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, had a reasonably good year for his club and country.
The 39-year-old scored 44 goals for Al-Nassr and provided a further 13 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions. In the league, his goal ratio was even better, finding the net 35 times in just 31 matches. At the start of last season, he also helped them win the 2023 King Salman Club Cup for the first time in the club's history.
However, the 2016 Euro winner didn't taste success with his country at the 2024 edition. He captained Portugal at the 2024 Euros as they crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-final.
#4 Rodrygo
The Real Madrid forward would be considering himself unlucky not to be part of the Ballon d'Or 30-man shortlist. Rodrygo had a stellar year with Los Blancos, helping them win the UEFA Champions League for the 15th time in the club's history. He also played a pivotal part in the club's victorious La Liga campaign, where they beat Barcelona by 10 points.
The Brazilian was a mainstay in Carlo Ancelotti's side, making 51 appearances in all competitions. The 23-year-old scored 17 goals and provided nine assists last season from the right wing.
The European competition is where he excelled the most. Rodrygo had eight goal contributions, including five goals, in 13 appearances for Madrid. His best performance came against Manchester City in the quarter-finals where he scored a goal in each leg.
His Ballon d'Or exclusion could be due to his lack of international success. Rodrygo failed to replicate his club form at the 2024 Copa America as Brazil exited the competition in the quarter-finals, losing to Uruguay on penalties.
#3 Virgil Van Dijk
The Liverpool center-back had an impressive individual season with the Reds. At the start of the season, he was made the captain of the club by then-manager Jurgen Klopp.
Van Dijk led the team to Carabao Cup success last season, scoring the only goal of the final in extra time. While Liverpool fell short in the league and Europe, the Dutchman's performances didn't go unnoticed. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for his exploits with the Reds.
The defender was ever-present at the back for Liverpool, making 48 appearances for his club while also contributing four goals, including the crucial goal in the Cup final against Chelsea.
The 33-year-old captained his international side at the 2024 Euros as well. The Dutchman helped Ronald Koeman's Netherlands punch above their weight to reach the semi-finals, where they lost to England.
#2 Mohamed Salah
Virgil van Dijk's club teammate, Mohamed Salah, was also left out of the Ballon d'Or shortlist. The Egyptian was at his usual best last season for both club and country.
Salah was instrumental in Liverpool's domestic season as they finished third behind eventual winners Manchester City and second-placed Arsenal. In 32 matches in the league, the 32-year-old scored 18 times and provided a further 10 assists. Across all competitions, he had 39 goal contributions in 44 appearances.
His importance to his international team and club was felt when he went to the African Cup of Nations with Egypt. Salah assisted in Egypt's tournament opener but an injury in the second match ruled him out for a couple of months.
Liverpool's domestic form took a hit in his absence with the Reds dropping down from the top of the table to eventually finish third. The winger was named the club's Player's Player of the Year as well as the Fans' Player of the Year in the end-of-season awards.
#1 Lionel Messi
It will be the first time since 2003 that the Ballon d'Or nominations will not include Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
The Argentinian is playing for Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami and had a standout year for club and country. In domestic competition in the United States, he played an instrumental role as Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup for the first time in the club's history. Messi scored 25 goals and provided 16 assists in 29 appearances for the Herons, averaging a goal contribution every 57 minutes.
The 37-year-old captained Argentina as they won the 2024 Copa America. Although he suffered an ankle injury in the final, Messi scored and assisted a goal in the tournament as La Albiceleste defended their title on North American soil.
