Was Cristiano Ronaldo nominated for the Ballon d'Or? Full 30-man shortlist revealed

Dom Farrell

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Was Cristiano Ronaldo nominated for the Ballon d'Or? Full 30-man shortlist revealed image

Cristiano Ronaldo spent two decades at and around the summit of world football but all good things must come to an end.

For the second time in as many years, the Al Nassr superstar has missed out on a place on the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist.

Ronaldo’s great rival Lionel Messi is also absent, meaning it is the first time since 2003 that neither has been in the running for world football’s most coveted individual prize.

Both era-defining stars loomed as improbably large figures over their generation, with Ronaldo winning five Ballons d’Or and Messi collecting his eighth last year.

MORE: All the latest soccer action | Cristiano Ronaldo news 

In between Ronaldo’s first win in 2008 and what now looks sure to be Messi’s last in 2023, Luka Modric (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022) are the only other players to have lifted the prize.

Ronaldo plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League is probably part of the reason for him leaving the top table. Despite other big names such as Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Sadio Mane joining him on the Arabian Peninsula, no player from the Saudi Pro League has earned a nomination in 2024.

Portugal bowed out in the last-16 on Euro 2024 as Ronaldo endured a frustrating tournament. Save for a march to glory at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, it is hard to envisage either CR7 or Messi returning to the Ballon d’Or podium they made their own.

Ballon d'Or nominees 2024

PlayerClubNational team
Jude BellinghamReal MadridEngland
Ruben DiasManchester CityPortugal
Phil FodenManchester CityEngland
Federico ValverdeReal MadridUruguay
Emiliano MartinezAston VillaArgentina
Erling HaalandManchester CityNorway
Nico WilliamsAthletic ClubSpain
Granit XhakaBayer LeverkusenSwitzerland
Artem DovbykRoma*Ukraine
Toni KroosReal Madrid**Germany
Vinicius JuniorReal MadridBrazil
Dani OlmoBarcelona***Spain
Florian WirtzBayer LeverkusenGermany
Martin OdegaardArsenalNorway
Mats HummelsBorussia Dortmund****Germany
RodriManchester CitySpain
Harry KaneBayern MunichEngland
Declan RiceArsenalEngland
VitinhaPSGPortugal
Cole PalmerChelseaEngland
Dani CarvajalReal MadridSpain
Lamine YamalBarcelonaSpain
Bukayo SakaArsenalEngland
Hakan CalhanogluInter MilanTurkey
William SalibaArsenalFrance
Kylian MbappeReal Madrid*****France
Lautaro MartinezInter MilanArgentina
Ademola LookmanAtalantaNigeria
Antonio RudigerReal MadridGermany
Alejandro GrimaldoBayer LeverkusenSpain

*Transferred from Girona in August 2024
**Retired from football in July 2024
***Transferred from RB Leipzig in August 2024
****Became a free agent after leaving Dortmund in June 2024
*****Transferred to Real Madrid after leaving PSG in July 2024

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.