Messi not included in Ballon d'Or shortlist for the first time since 2005, Neymar also misses out
Messi, who has won the award a record seven times, hasn't been included in the shortlist for the first time since 2005. The Argentine scored 11 goals in 34 matches last season for PSG.
Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi hasn't been included in the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. His PSG teammate Neymar couldn't make the list as well.
Messi, who has won the award a record seven times, hasn't been included in the shortlist for the first time since 2005. The Argentine scored 11 goals in 34 matches last season for PSG.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a five times Ballon d'Or winner, made the list. The Portuguese forward scored 18 goals in 31 outings for Manchester United last season.
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The favourite for the 2022 Ballon d'Or, though, is Karim Benzema. He had a stellar season for Real Madrid with 44 goals and helped them win the La Liga and the Uefa Champions League.
Full list of nominees:
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Heung-Min Son (Tottenham)
Fabinho (Liverpool)
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich)
Sebastien Haller (Borussia Dortmund)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
