The nominations for this year’s Ballon d’Or were announced on Friday, but two of football’s most famous men were not nominated. Candidates Neymar Jr. and Lionel Messi were not included in the 30 nominations. The last time this happened was in 2005 when Messi has not been nominated for this award.
Messi was the winner of the Ballon d’Or twice, in 2019, and 2021. In 2020, the trophy was canceled due to COVID-19. He was also the winner in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015. His 7 Ballon d’Or wins remain the record among any player. He also finished second place or third place six times, as per the votes. Neymar and Messi were not included in the Ballon d’Or list.
The Ballon D’Or Does Not Feature Neymar Along With Lionel Messi
Neymar also missed the cut. Neymar is yet to receive the award but finished third on two votes in 2017 and 2015. Both Neymar and Lionel spent the season of 2021-2022 at French Superclub Paris Saint-Germain.
The squad finished first in Ligue 1 with a 26-8-4 record. Lionel netted 6 goals following his 30 goals for Barcelona in the season of 2020-2021. Neymar netted 13 goals and provided 6 assists while playing 22 games for PSG.
