Ballon d'Or nominees: Messi missing as Spain and England stars dominate

Lionel Messi, aged 37, will not be receiving another Ballon d'Or this year, as he has been excluded from the list of nominees announced by the organizers on Wednesday.

The nominees include six players from England, alongside members of Spain's Euro 2024 squad and the Champions League-winning team from Real Madrid.

Last year, Messi secured the eighth Ballon d'Or of his illustrious career. Despite winning another title with Argentina at the Copa America in July, he is not among the 30 candidates this year.

The former Barcelona star, who is currently playing in Major League Soccer for Inter Miami, was also absent from the nominees in 2022 when Karim Benzema was awarded the title.

However, he made a comeback to win the accolade last year after guiding Argentina to victory at the World Cup in Qatar.

The Ballon d'Or, regarded as the most prestigious individual award in football, is determined by a panel of journalists from the top 100 countries in FIFA's world rankings.

Among the favorites this year is Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior, who is one of six players from the Real Madrid team that triumphed in both La Liga and the Champions League last season.

The other nominees from Madrid include Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Antonio Rudiger, and Fede Valverde, with Kylian Mbappe, who transferred from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid during the off-season, also making the list.

Carvajal is among the nominees from the victorious Spanish team, which includes Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Nico Williams, and Lamine Yamal.

Additionally, Manchester City's Norwegian star Erling Haaland and England's Harry Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, are included, while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo, now 39, has not been nominated.

Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to a Bundesliga title in an unbeaten season, is considered a frontrunner for the best coach award, competing against Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti and Spain's Luis de la Fuente.

In the women's category, Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona and Spain will aim to defend her Ballon d'Or title.