17 Ballon d'Or nominations: Lionel Messi closes on Cristiano Ronaldo record | OneFootball

According to L'ÉEquipe, Lionel Messi has been shortlisted for a 17th Ballon d'Or.

A ninth crown next? Absent from the 30-man list in the past two editions, the eight-time winner returns to the nominees after last featuring in 2023.

His inclusion is no surprise. He scored 8 goals and delivered 4 assists at the World Cup, carrying Argentina to the final, where at 39 he struggled in a 0-1 defeat after extra time to Spain at MetLife Stadium, New York.

A decade after first announcing international retirement in June 2016 on the same pitch following a Copa América final loss to Chile, 0-0 after extra time, 2-4 on penalties, he bowed out of the national team on 31 August.

Now with Inter Miami in MLS, the playmaker is one shy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s mark. Ronaldo was nominated 18 times in succession from 2004 to 2022, with 2020 cancelled because of Covid-19, and is a five-time winner.

Ronaldo does not make the final 30. The Al-Nassr forward’s Saudi title was not enough for the 41-year-old, who underwhelmed at the World Cup despite 3 goals, including a quiet last-16 showing against Spain, a 0-1 defeat in which he had 19 touches.

Source: L'Équipe

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