2026 Ballon d'Or: 8-time winner messi bags 17th nomination as Ronaldo misses out

Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi earns his 17th nomination for the 2026 award, while 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo misses out on the 30-man shortlist. The 2026 Ballon d'Or men's nominations were released on September 8, and Lionel Messi has made the 30-man list for the game's most prestigious individual prize while long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out. Messi and Ronaldo have dominated Ballon d'Or conversations for over two decades, but Ronaldo has slipped off the radar in recent years and misses out again on the 2026 shortlist. There is no space for the Al Nassr forward this time, even though his club teammate Sadio Mané, the Senegalese international, has earned a nomination, becoming the first Saudi Pro League player ever named on the list. Messi, now playing for Inter Miami, forced his way onto the shortlist off the back of strong performances for Argentina at the World Cup this year. It marks his 17th career nomination, putting him one behind Ronaldo's all-time record of 18. Messi already holds the record for most wins with eight Ballons d'Or, the last of which came in 2023 after his move away from Europe. Paris Saint-Germain dominate this year's list with 10 nominees, more than any other club, reflecting their run to a second straight Champions League triumph. That group includes reigning champion Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, João Neves, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Fabián Ruiz, and new arrival Ferran Torres. Real Madrid have four nominees on the list: Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and new signing Marc Cucurella. Barcelona also has three names in the mix: Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, and Rodri, who joined the club from Manchester City over the summer. Bayern Munich are represented by Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Dayot Upamecano, and Luis Díaz, while Arsenal's Premier League title triumph earns nominations for Declan Rice, William Saliba, and Gabriel. Other names on the 30-man shortlist include Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, Lautaro Martínez, and Julián Quiñones, the surprise inclusion of the group.