Ballon d'Or chief believes Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi would've attracted support from voters if they were in contention for award

Ballon d'Or chief Vincent Garcia has claimed that footballing superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would have attracted a lot of support from voters if they were nominated. Garcia, who is the editor of French monthly France Football, the organization that hands out the prestigious award, made the claim in a recent interview with The Times.

The 2024 Ballon d'Or marks the first time in 21 years that neither Messi nor Ronaldo are on the 30-man shortlist for the award - a testament to their prolonged dominance of the beautiful game.

It also marks the first time in 21 seasons that no former winner is on the shortlist for the coveted prize. The widely regarded favorites for the award are Manchester City duo Rodri and Erling Haaland and Real Madrid trio Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.

While Messi and Ronaldo didn't make the final shortlist, Garcia believes that they would have had great support among the voters if they were in the running. He said (via GOAL):

"If they were on the shortlist this year, I’m sure they would have got some votes."

Even at 37 and 39, Messi and Ronaldo continue to dominate the sport with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami and Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, respectively.

Since his free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Florida in 2023, the Argentine maestro has bagged 33 goals and 18 assists in 37 appearances for the Herons. He helped them win the 2023 Leagues Cup, led them to the best record in the 2024 MLS season and is currently leading their charge in the MLS playoffs.

On the other hand, the Portuguese sharpshooter has enjoyed a superb start to the 2024-25 campaign, with nine goals and three assists in 11 games.

"Some are very upset with us" - Ballon d'Or chief makes controversial claim about Cristiano Ronaldo

Ballon d'Or chief Vincent Garcia has also claimed that he believes Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo could be 'very upset' with the organization.

For an award that he has won five times, the 39-year-old has failed to make the final 30-man shortlist for the second season in a row. Additionally, he has reportedly abstained from voting for the Kopa Trophy, an award given to the best under-21 footballer of the year, for the past two campaigns.

Speaking about the actions of the record goalscorer in international football (133 goals in 216 appearances), Garcia opined (GOAL):

"Winners have the right to come back to all future ceremonies but they don’t all come, some are very upset with us. I don’t know for certain Cristiano is, I don’t talk to him directly, but I know for example that former winners vote for the Kopa Trophy – for the best young player – and Cristiano didn’t vote last year and he didn’t vote this year either."

Up next, Ronaldo will likely be seen in action for Al-Nassr when they take on Al-Taawoun in the Round of 16 of the King's Cup of Champions (October 29). Meanwhile, the Ballon d'Or ceremony is set to take place in Paris on Monday, October 28.