Nigeria and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman has been nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.
The organisers of the most prestigious individual award in football announced the nominees on Wednesday.
Lookman earned the nomination after scoring a stunning hat-trick for Atalanta as the Italian club ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten run and won the Europa League final 3-0 in May 2024.
Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka, Manchester City’s Norwegian star Erling Haaland, and England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane are on the list as well, but there is no place for eight-time winner Lionel Messi and five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi, aged 37, and 39-year-old Ronaldo are out of the Ballon d’Or nominees for the first time since 2003.
Messi, who claimed the eighth Ballon d’Or of his glittering career last year, is not among the 30 contenders this time despite winning another title with Argentina at the Copa America in July.
The former Barcelona superstar, now playing club football in MLS for Inter Miami, was also missing from the nominees in 2022 when Karim Benzema took the honours.
However, he returned to win last year after leading Argentina to glory at the World Cup in Qatar.
Brazil forward Vinicius Junior is among the favourites and is one of six members of the Madrid team that won La Liga and the Champions League last season to be nominated.
Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Antonio Ruediger, and Fede Valverde are the others, while Kylian Mbappe – who left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for Real Madrid over the close season – features too.
Lookman nets hat-trick as Atalanta beat Leverkusen to win Europa League
Carvajal is among the contenders from the victorious Spain team alongside Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Nico Williams, and Lamine Yamal.
Xabi Alonso, who won the Bundesliga in an unbeaten season with Bayer Leverkusen, is among the favourites for best coach.
His rivals include Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti and Spain’s Luis de la Fuente.
Meanwhile, Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona and Spain will hope to retain the women’s Ballon d’Or.
Former winners Ada Hegerberg and Alexia Putellas are also nominated, along with five members of the United States’ Olympic gold medal-winning team in Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horanm and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
The Ballon d’Or is voted for by a jury of journalists from each of the top 100 countries in FIFA’s world ranking.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony is due to take place in Paris on October 28.
Below is the full list of the nominees:
Ballon d’Or shortlist
Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid
Phil Foden – Man City
Ruben Dias – Man City
Federico Valverde – Real Madrid
Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa
Erling Haaland – Man City
Nicolas Williams – Athletic Bilbao
Granit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen
Artem Dovbik – Roma
Toni Kroos – Real Madrid
Vinicius Jr – Real Madrid
Dani Olmo – RB Leipzig/Barcelona
Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen
Martin Odegaard – Arsenal
Matts Hummels – Borussia Dortmund
Rodri – Man City
Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
Declan Rice – Arsenal
Vitinha – PSG
Cole Palmer – Chelsea
Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid
Lamine Yamal – Barcelona
Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
Hakan Calhanoglu – Inter Milan
William Saliba – Arsenal
Kylian Mbappe – PSG/Real Madrid
Lautaro Martinez – Inter Milan
Ademola Lookman – Atalanta
Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid
Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen
Kopa Trophy shortlist
Pau Cubarsi – Barcelona
Alejandro Garnacho – Manchester United
Arda Guler – Real Madrid
Karim Konate – RB Salzburg
Kobbie Mainoo – Manchester United
Joao Neves – Benfica/PSG
Savinho – Girona/Man City
Mathys Tel – Bayern Munich
Lamine Yamal – Barcelona
Warren Zaire-Emery – PSG
Men’s Coach of the Year shortlist
Xabi Alonso – Bayer Leverkusen
Carlo Ancelotti – Real Madrid
Luis De La Fuente – Spain
Gian Piero Gasperini – Atalanta
Pep Guardiola – Man City
Lionel Scaloni – Argentina
Team of the Year shortlist
Borussia Dortmund
Girona
Bayer Leverkusen
Real Madrid
Manchester City
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