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

The Star