For the first time since 2006, Lionel Messi is not in the race to win the Ballon d’Or. The record seven-time winner of the Golden Ball award was not included in the list of the final 30 players shortlisted for this year’s award.
The most prestigious individual award in football is awarded by French football, and the 30 nominees for the latest edition of the individual accolade were officially announced on Friday evening, with the seven-time winner missing out entirely.
The 35-year-old superstar, who moved to Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the 2021-22 season from Catalan club FC Barcelona, had a tough first season outside Spain and was only able to score 11 goals across all competitions, which was also his lowest tally since 2005-06. He did assist a further 15 in his 34 appearances, though.
The numbers may look decent, but clearly weren’t good enough to sway the Ballon d’Or judges over at France Football.
On the flip side, Messi’s long-time rival and five-time winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, received a record-extending 19th nomination after scoring 24 goals for Manchester United, in which for the first time in over a decade he failed to win a single trophy.
After Messi was excluded from the list completely and Ronaldo was included, France Football journalist Emmanuel Bojan decided to come out and explain the reason behind it.
In a Q&A session with French publication L’Equipe, Bojan said: “Inevitably, Lionel Messi, with his 15 appearances in a row since 2006, his seven Ballon d’Or victories, and his title holder status, weighs very heavily when it comes to the final choice.”
“The Argentinian was part of the discussions to integrate the 30, but the new criteria for the Ballon d’Or were unfavourable to him: the disappearance of the criterion of a player’s entire career, and a new periodicity, modelled on a season of football and no longer over a calendar year, which does not make it possible to integrate the Copa America of July 11, 2021.
“And then, it must be admitted that his first season in Paris was very disappointing, both in terms of the visual impression and the statistics.”
Why was Ronaldo included?
“The statistics say the opposite,” Bojan said when he was asked about the inclusion of United’s number seven.
“Ronaldo became the top scorer in national football this season (117 goals). He was extremely decisive in the Champions League group stage with four off-the-cuff goals that gave Man Utd seven points.”
“In the Premier League, he has 18 goals, including two hat-tricks. In total, 32 goals in 49 matches is not as many as in his best seasons but enough to be among the 30 best players in the world.”
Despite his inclusion in the list, it is unlikely that Ronaldo will win the sixth award this year. His former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema, is the favourite to win his first Ballon d’Or this year.
