Lionel Messi will not win a record-extending ninth Ballon d’Or after being left off the shortlist for the 2024 award.
Messi won the prize in 2023 but has not been included on the shortlist for this year’s gong, despite captaining Argentina to the Copa America this summer. Five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo is also absent, with this the first time in 21 years that neither of the all-time greats are on the shortlist.

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Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden have been included among six English players.
Football’s greatest individual accolade will be awarded next month and the England midfielders have been included on the final list of nominees. Bellingham’s inclusion comes after a brilliant debut season at Real Madrid that saw the 21-year-old lift La Liga and the Champions League, with the midfielder named as Spanish football’s Player of the Season. Foden earned the Premier League Player of the Season equivalent after helping Manchester City to a record-breaking fourth league title in a row. Palmer, meanwhile, won the PFA Young Player of the Year award after a breakout Premier League season that saw the 22-year-old lead the division for goal involvements.
Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Harry Kane complete the English contingent on the shortlist, with the latter having won the European Golden Shoe after scoring 36 goals in 32 league appearances for Bayern Munich. He became just t...