Lionel Messi and Neymar were not nominated for the Ballon d’Or this year for the first time since 2005.
Messi hasn’t been left off a Ballon d’Or shortlist since 2005, and he’s won it seven times in that time.
His teammate Neymar was also left off the list, while the Argentine’s old La Liga rival Cristiano Ronaldo was included.
Messi’s Performance So Far
Messi did not match his usual lofty goalscoring standards in his debut season at PSG, his first season away from Barcelona.
He did, however, provide plenty of assists, as he set up 14 goals in addition to the 11 he netted in his first season in France, which finished with a Ligue 1 title.
Internationally, he scored seven goals in 15 games to help Argentina win the Finalissima.
Messi’s Ballon D’Or History
The Argentine received his first Ballon d’Or nomination in 2005, his first season as a regular starter at Barcelona.
Messi ranked in the top three every year from 2007 to 2018, winning the award five times.
After missing out in 2018, he won it again in 2019 and 2021, with the Ballon d’Or not being given out in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Seven times 🏆 pic.twitter.com/BxQM6GsEYp
— GOAL (@goal) August 12, 2022
See Also: Lionel Messi Scores A Spectacular Bicycle Kick In PSG Win
The Full List of Ballon D’Or Nominees
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Vinicius Jnr (Real Madrid)
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)
Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Fabinho (Liverpool)
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich)
Sebastian Haller (Borussia Dortmund)
The award will be given on October 17.
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