GOAT Debate: Ronaldo missing as Messi makes Ballon d'Or list

Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo was conspicuously missing from the shortlisted list for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or awards. The nominees were announced via the award body's X handle on Tuesday. The Al-Nassr FC captain missed out on the list despite scoring 30 goals and making four assists for the Saudi Arabia side, helping his team win the Saudi Professional League. Ronaldo, who was named the Fans' Player of the Season, also won Goal of the Season honors following a campaign where he scored 28 league goals. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo scored two goals before his Portugal side was knocked out of the competition by eventual champions, Spain. On the other hand, Ronaldo's rival, Argentina's Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi, was nominated for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or award. The 39-year-old's name was shortlisted for the 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees, marking the 70th year of the Ballon d'Or to recognize and celebrate great achievements in the world of football across the 2025/26 season. Messi's inclusion in the race for the prestigious award comes after leading Argentina to the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they lost by a lone goal to Spain. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner scored eight goals and assisted four times during the competition co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada. At the club level, the Argentine scored 32 goals and 25 assists during the 2025/2026 season for the American side Inter Miami. Among other contenders for the 2026 Ballon d'Or are Span and Barcelona talisman Lamine Yamal. The 19-year-old who won the 2025/2026 La Liga with Barcelona also played a pivotal part in the Spanish team that defeated Messi's Argentina at the 2026 World Cup final. Yamal recorded 16 goals and 11 assists in 28 La Liga appearances during the 2025–26 La Liga season for FC Barcelona. Bayern Munich and England forward Harry Kane are also favorites to clinch the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or. Though his side was embarrassed out of the 2026 World Cup controversy of Messi's masterclass, Kane clinched the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, where he scored 61 goals and provided 7 assists in 51 total appearances for FC Bayern Munich during the 2025/26 season. France captain Kylian Mbappe is also shortlisted for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or award. Mbappe, who set a new record for the highest goal scorer at the FIFA World Cup, scored 10 goals in the competition and carted home the Golden Boot. Despite ending the 2025/26 season trophyless for Spanish giant Real Madrid, who scored 42 goals and 6 assists across 44 total appearances, winning the Pichichi Trophy for the 2025/26 La Liga season with 25 goals. See below the full list for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or nominees Rodrigo Hernandez — Manchester City, Barcelona/Spain Lionel Messi — Inter Miami/Argentina Kylian Mbappe — Real Madrid/France Lamine Yamal — FC Barcelona/Spain Jude Bellingham — Real Madrid/England Pau Cubarsí — FC Barcelona/Spain Marc Cucurella — Chelsea, Real Madrid/Spain Ousmane Dembélé — Paris Saint-Germain/France Luis Díaz — Bayern Munich/Colombia Bruno Fernandes — Manchester United/Portugal Erling Haaland — Manchester City/Norway Gabriel Magalhaes — Arsenal/Brazil Harry Kane — Bayern Munich/England Achraf Hakimi — Paris Saint-Germain/Morocco Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — Paris Saint-Germain/Georgia Marcos Corrêa — Paris Saint-Germain/Brazil Sadio Mané — Al-Nassr/Senegal Nuno Mendes — Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal, Lautaro Martínez, Michael Olise — Bayern Munich/France João Neves — Paris Saint-Germain/Portugal Willian Pacho — Paris Saint-Germain/Ecuador Julian Quiñones — Al-Qadsiah/Mexico Declan Rice — Arsenal/England Fabián Ruiz — Paris Saint-Germain/Spain Ferran Torres — FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain/Spain William Saliba — Arsenal/France Dayot Upamecano — Bayern Munich/France Vinicius Jr. — Real Madrid/Brazil Vítor Ferreira (Vitinha) — Paris Saint-Germain/Portugal