EXPLAINED: Why Lionel Messi is not nominated for Ballon d'Or and Cristiano Ronaldo is?

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PSG striker and one of the most prolific footballers in the world Lionel Messi will not be in the race for the Ballon d'Or for the first time in 2006. Messi has seven Golden Ball awards. However, for the year 2022, the Argentinia player is not on the list of the final 30 players. Things have not been easy for Messi, since his transfer to PSG as he has managed to score just 11 goals which are the lowest since 2005-06. In 34 matches he has just 15 assists to his name. Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in football awarded by French football, and the 30 nominees for the latest edition of the individual accolade were officially announced on Friday evening. 

Ballon d’Or rankings:

Cristiano Ronaldo in his first year at Juventus: 3rd Place.

Lionel Messi in his first year at PSG superteam: Not even top 30

Never a debate. pic.twitter.com/QoKkIztXJT

— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) August 12, 2022

On the other hand, Messi's arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo is on the list. He has five Ballon d'Or to his name. He received a record-extending 19th nomination this year. He scored 24 goals for Manchester United, in which for the first time in over a decade he failed to win a single trophy.

This created a lot of buzz in the football world and the France Football journalist Emmanuel Bojan had to come out and explain the decision to leave out Messi and Ronaldo. 

Why Lionel Messi is not nominated for Ballon d'Or?

Bojan said: "Inevitably, Lionel Messi, with his 15 appearances in a row since 2006, his seven Ballon d’Or victories, and his title holder status, weighs very heavily when it comes to the final choice. The Argentinian was part of the discussions to integrate the 30, but the new criteria for the Ballon d’Or were unfavourable to him: the disappearance of the criterion of a player’s entire career, and a new periodicity, modelled on a season of football and no longer over a calendar year, which does not make it possible to integrate the Copa America of July 11, 2021. And then, it must be admitted that his first season in Paris was very disappointing, both in terms of the visual impression and the statistics."

Why Cristiano Ronaldo is nominated for Ballon d'Or?

"The statistics say the opposite. Ronaldo became the top scorer in national football this season (117 goals). He was extremely decisive in the Champions League group stage with four off-the-cuff goals that gave Man Utd seven points. In the Premier League, he has 18 goals, including two hat-tricks. In total, 32 goals in 49 matches is not as many as in his best seasons but enough to be among the 30 best players in the world."