Four Portuguese players on Ballon d’Or shortlist | OneFootball

The race for the Ballon d’Or is nearing its final stages. The 30-player shortlist has been published, and includes major names like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr.

However, there was no Pedri or David Raya. And, for the fourth year running, Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo has missed out on the shortlist, despite teammate and understudy Sadio Mané being named.

While Ronaldo didn’t make the cut, the shortlist does include four Portuguese internationals in Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Mendes, João Neves and Vitinha.

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[Image] Mendes-Neves-vitinha

Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United had an up-and-down season last year. United were in seventh position when former midfielder Michael Carrick took over the top job at the club. He went on to guide the Red Devils to a third-placed finish. Carrick not only lifted the team’s position, but also the performances of a lot of his players, including skipper Bruno Fernandes.

The captain finished the season with 21 assists – the most of any player in a single Premier League campaign. He also pitched in with nine goals, and his performance led to him being named the PFA Men’s Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Association Men’s Footballer of the Year.

Despite that, he isn’t considered a strong favourite to lift the Ballon d’Or, as United and Portugal failed to lift any major trophies. However, he could end up being the highest ranked Portuguese player.

Nuno Mendes

At just 24, full-back Nuno Mendes is already a record breaker. The PSG regular became the player with the most titles under the age of 23.

He now has 19 titles, including two Champions Leagues and five Ligue 1 titles. He also became the youngest Portuguese player to have played in 50 Champions League games when he was just 23 years old.

However, only three defenders have ever won the Ballon d’Or, so despite his trophies and personal accolades, Mendes will find it a difficult nut to crack.

João Neves

At 24 Mendes is a young player with a bright future, but teammate João Neves is three years his junior. It is the second consecutive year the midfielder has been nominated and makes this year’s list primarily thanks to five goal contributions during PSG’s last European run.

Although definitely a star, Neves is unlikely to take the accolade this time around.

Vitinha

Vitinha, Neves, and Mendes are three of 10 PSG nominees for the award. Vitinha features in his third consecutive shortlist. Vitinha was named the Man of the Match in the Champions League final victory over Arsenal, and popped up with seven goal contributions.

While the Portuguese star will be hoping to improve on his third-place finish in last year’s competition, it may be a stretch to hope for a victory.

PSG trio Vitinha, João Neves and Nuno Mendes, and Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes are nominated for the 2026 Ballon D’Or