Cristiano Ronaldo previously claimed that the Ballon d’Or is losing its credibility after he was left off the shortlist for the award.
The nominations for the 2024 award were announced on Wednesday night by France Football, with 30 of the world’s best players put forward for the top individual prize in men’s football.
Al Nassr star Ronaldo, who has won the award five times previously, did not make the cut – despite scoring 44 goals in all competitions for the Saudi Pro League club last season.
His great rival Lionel Messi, who himself has won the Ballon d’Or a record eight times – including last year, was also a notable omission from the 2024 shortlist.
It is the first time since 2003 that neither Messi nor Ronaldo has been included in the nominations for the award.
Speaking last year, Ronaldo claimed both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA The Best awards were ‘losing credibility’.
His comments came after he was left out of the nominees despite scoring 54 goals in the calendar year, making him the top scorer in world football for 2023.
“It’s not to say that Messi didn’t deserve it, or [Erling] Haaland or even [Kylian] Mbappe… but the numbers are there and the numbers don’t deceive. You have to consider the entire season,” Ronaldo told Record.
“The numbers are facts. If you go back and see what happened at Manchester United and the national team, people actually considered me lost… but the truth is that I focused and had a great period at Al Nassr, that’s why I scored 54 goals.
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