Messi and Ronaldo out of Ballon d'Or

The 2024 Ballon d'Or will witness a unique event, as the two legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will be absent from the list of nominees for the award for the first time in 21 years. Ronaldo, Messi, or both of them have been nominated for the Ballon d'Or since 2003, but they are no longer on the 2024 Ballon d'Or list announced by France Football magazine. Ronaldo has been on the list of nominees for the Ballon d'Or between 2004 and 2022, 18 times in a row. In contrast, Messi continued to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or 16 times, between 2006 and 2023, while he was absent on one occasion in 2022. The absence of the duo from the list of nominees for the Ballon d'Or means that the historic era of Ronaldo and Messi in football has practically ended. Messi had won the award for the best player in the world on 8 occasions, while Cristiano Ronaldo has 5 Ballon d'Ors.