The annual Ballon d'Or race has often been a straight shootout between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past two decades as part of their superb battle for supremacy.
During the incredible Clasico showdowns between the pair in their prime years at Barcelona and Real Madrid, the fight for individual glory was dominated by football's two superstar names.
Alongside sweeping up major team awards at Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabeu, Messi and Ronaldo were locked in personal combat to be named as the planet's No.1 player.
From 2011 to 2017, the top two spots in the Ballon d'Or race were filled by either Messi or Ronaldo, before Luka Modric broke their stranglehold in 2018. In fact, since 2007, Modric and Karim Benzema are the only players to win the award other than Messi and Ronaldo.
But, as their careers wind down in Miami and Riyadh, both men have been overlooked on the 30-man shortlist for 2024. When was the last time that neither of those era-defining greats were not even among the nominees?
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When was last time Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were not nominated for Ballon d'Or?
Only Modric (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022) have won a Ballon d'Or ahead of either Messi or Ronaldo since the Portuguese forward won it in 2008 during his time at Manchester United.
However, the gap between their respective nominations for the award stretches back even further, with Messi's omission from the 2022 list the first time he was left out since 2005.
Messi returned to the 2023 list, with Ronaldo left out, marking the first time the latter has not made the 30-player shortlist since 2003.
In other words, Messi, Ronaldo, or both of them have been among the nominees for the Ballon d'Or every year for the past 20 years.
Lionel Messi Ballon d'Or wins, nominations
Since 2005, Messi has been nominated for 17 of the 18 Ballon d'Or shortlists and has won the trophy a record eight times. Six of those wins came during his long career with Barcelona, and his most recent, in 2021 and 2023, were when he was at Paris Saint-Germain.
That makes Messi the most successful player in Ballon d'Or history. He has also finished second in the voting on five occasions, and been third once.
All of Messi's second-place finishes saw Ronaldo finish in the No.1 slot. In 2007, when Messi was third, Ronaldo came second and Brazilian star Kaka won the prize.
Lionel Messi Ballon d'Or finishes
| 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
| 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 | 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 | 2007 |
Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon d'Or wins, nominations
Ronaldo's streak of Ballon d'Or nominations is more extensive than Messi's with a place on the shortlist every year from 2004 to 2022. That time period covers his two spells at Manchester United, as well as his record-breaking era at Real Madrid and his time at Juventus.
His five Ballon d'Or wins place the Al Nassr striker as the second most successful player in the award's history. He won four while at Real Madrid, and one at United.
Four of his six second-place finishes have come in behind Messi. He was also runner-up to Kaka in 2007, and Luka Modric in 2018. Ronaldo came third in 2019, as Messi won it.
Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon d'Or finishes
| 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
| 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 | 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018 | 2019 |
Why the Messi-Ronaldo Ballon d'Or era ended in 2024
Messi and Ronaldo are inevitably reaching the end of their stellar careers with 2023 seeing the pair operating outside of Europe for the first time at club level.
Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr will likely see him play for at least a couple more years, but his transfer has removed him from the reckoning for the Ballon d'Or. It is highly unusual for players based outside Europe's elite leagues to win the award.
Messi won the 2023 Ballon d'Or, with a change in criteria from 2022 onwards focusing on the previous season, and not the calendar year. That brought Messi's incredible 2022 World Cup title with Argentina into the equation and helped him to finish ahead of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
However, there is a very strong chance of 2023 being his last appearance on the Ballon d'Or stage, as he continues a new chapter with Inter Miami. With the MLS season following a calendar year, Messi was unable do enough to secure a nomination for the 2023/24 period, despite Argentina's latest triumph at the Copa America.
That means 2024 will begin a new Ballon d'Or era led by Haaland, Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and other names vying to be the world's best.