Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are absent from the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee list for the first time in over two decades.
On Wednesday, the official nominees for the prestigious award were announced, featuring many of the sport’s top talents. However, the exclusion of Messi and Ronaldo stands out as a significant change, marking the first time since 2003 that neither player is in the running.
Messi, who won the Ballon d’Or for a record eighth time in 2023, and Ronaldo, who has claimed the trophy five times, have been regular fixtures on the nominee list for two decades. This year, however, neither of the football icons made the cut. The last time at least one of them wasn’t nominated, LeBron James had just entered the NBA as a rookie.
From 2008 to 2018, the award was exclusively dominated by Messi and Ronaldo, as no other player managed to break through during that period. Luka Modric was the first to interrupt their streak, winning the Ballon d’Or in 2019.
Currently, Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, and Messi is with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS), signaling a new phase in their illustrious careers, both of which have seen them step away from the European stage.
2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or nominees
| PLAYER | CLUB | COUNTRY |
| Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | England |
| Phil Foden | Manchester City | England |
| Federico Valverde | Real Madrid | Uruguay |
| Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| Ruben Dias | Manchester City | Portugal |
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City | Norway |
| Nico Williams | Athletic Bilbao | Spain |
| Granit Xhaka | Bayer Leverkusen | Switzerland |
| Artem Dovbyk | Roma/Girona | Ukraine |
| Toni Kroos | Real Madrid (retired) | Germany (retired) |
| Vinicius Junior | Real Madrid | Brazil |
| Dani Olmo | Barcelona/RB Leipzig | Spain |
| Florian Wirtz | Bayer Leverkusen | Germany |
| Martin Odegaard | Arsenal | Norway |
| Mats Hummels | Roma/Borussia Dortmund | Germany |
| Rodri | Manchester 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 Milan | Turkey |
| William Saliba | Arsenal | France |
| Kylian Mbappe | Real Madrid/PSG | France |
| Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan | Argentina |
| Ademola Lookman | Atalanta | Nigeria |
| Antonio Rudiger | Real Madrid | Germany |
| Alejandro Grimaldo | Bayer Leverkusen | Spain |
2024 Women’s Ballon d’Or nominees
| PLAYER | CLUB | COUNTRY |
| Aitana Bonmati | Barcelona | Spain |
| Barbra Banda | Orlando Pride/Shanghai RCB | Zambia |
| Tarciane | Houston Dash/Corinthians | Brazil |
| Lauren Hemp | Manchester City | England |
| Trinity Rodman | Washington Spirit | United States |
| Ada Hegerberg | Lyon | Norway |
| Manuela Giugliano | Roma | Italy |
| Mallory Swanson | Chicago Red Stars | United States |
| Glodis Viggosdottir | Bayern Munich | Iceland |
| Mariona Caldentey | Arsenal/Barcelona | Spain |
| Lauren James | Chelsea | England |
| Lea Schuller | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| Patricia Guijarro | Barcelona | Spain |
| Gabi Portilho | Corinthians | Brazil |
| Tabitha Chawinga | Lyon/PSG | Malawi |
| Caroline Graham Hansen | Barcelona | Norway |
| Lindsey Horan | Lyon | United States |
| Sjoeke Nusken | Chelsea | Germany |
| Yui Hasegawa | Manchester City | Japan |
| Lucy Bronze | Chelsea/Barcelona | England |
| Salma Paralluelo | Barcelona | Spain |
| Giulia Gwinn | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| Khadija Shaw | Manchester City | Jamaica |
| Grace Geyoro | PSG | France |
| Alexia Putellas | Barcelona | Spain |
| Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns | United States |
| Ewa Pajor | Barcelona/Wolfsburg | Poland |
| Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | United States |
| Mayra Ramirez | Chelsea/Levante | Colombia |
| Marie-Antoinette Katoto | PSG | France |
Kopa Trophy nominees
| PLAYER | CLUB | COUNTRY |
| Pau Cubarsi | Barcelona | Spain |
| Alejandro Garnacho | Manchester United | Argentina |
| Arda Guler | Real Madrid | Turkey |
| Karim Konate | Red Bull Salzburg | Ivory Coast |
| Kobbie Mainoo | Manchester United | England |
| Joao Neves | PSG/Benfica | Portugal |
| Savinho | Manchester City/Girona | Brazil |
| Mathys Tel | Bayern Munich | France |
| Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | Spain |
| Warren Zaire-Emery | PSG | France |
Yachine Trophy nominees
| PLAYER | CLUB | COUNTRY |
| Diogo Costa | FC Porto | Portugal |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | PSG | Italy |
| Gregor Kobel | Borussia Dortmund | Switzerland |
| Andriy Lunin | Real Madrid | Ukraine |
| Mike Maignan | AC Milan | France |
| Giorgi Mamardashvili | Valencia | Georgia |
| Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| Unai Simon | Athletic Bilbao | Spain |
| Yann Sommer | Inter Milan | Switzerland |
| Ronwen Williams | Mamelodi Sundowns | South Africa |
Men’s team coach of the year
| COACH | TEAM |
| Carlo Ancelotti | Real Madrid |
| Xabi Alonso | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Luis de la Fuente | Spain |
| Gian Piero Gasperini | Atalanta |
| Pep Guardiola | Manchester City |
| Lionel Scaloni | Argentina |
Women’s team coach of the year
| COACH | TEAM |
| Sonia Bompastor | Chelsea/Lyon |
| Arthur Elias | Brazil/Corinthians |
| Jonatan Giraldez | Washington Spirit/Barcelona |
| Filipa Patao | Benfica |
| Sarina Wiegman | England |
| Emma Hayes | United States/Chelsea |
