Messi absent from Ballon d'Or nominations, Spanish stars dominate

Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d'Or last year but is not nominated this time around FRANCK FIFE Text size Lionel Messi will not win another Ballon d'Or this year after being left out of the nominees revealed by organisers on Wednesday, with stars from Spain's Euro 2024-winning team and Champions League winners Real Madrid featuring prominently. Messi won the eighth Ballon d'Or of his illustrious career last year. The 37-year-old is not among the 30 contenders this time, despite winning another title with Argentina at the Copa America in July. The former Barcelona star, who now plays for MLS club Inter Miami, was also absent from the 2022 nominees when Karim Benzema took the honours. He did, however, manage to return to winning ways last year after leading Argentina to glory at the World Cup in Qatar. Football's most prestigious individual award is judged by a jury of journalists from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA World Rankings. Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior is among the favourites and is one of six members of the Madrid side that won La Liga and the Champions League last season to be nominated. Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Antonio Ruediger and Fede Valverde are the others, while Kylian Mbappe - who left Paris Saint-Germain for Real in the off-season - also features. Carvajal is among the contenders for the victorious Spanish team alongside Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. Manchester City's Norwegian star Erling Haaland and England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane are also on the list, but there is no place for five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo, now 39. Xabi Alonso, who won the Bundesliga in an unbeaten season with Bayer Leverkusen, is among the favourites for the title of best coach. His rivals include Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti and Spaniard Luis de la Fuente. Meanwhile, Barcelona and Spain's Aitana Bonmati is hoping to retain the women's Ballon d'Or. Former winners Ada Hegerberg and Alexia Putellas are also nominated, as are five members of the U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning team: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horan and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. The Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place in Paris on October 28.