Ballon d’Or nominations: find out the favourites, biggest snubs, and which Premier League stars feature

It’s football’s highest individual accolade, and this year the men’s Ballon d’Or will have a new winner after the nominations published yesterday indicated a passing of the torch between generations.

For the first time since 2003, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo - who have dominated the winners’ list for the better part of 20 years. The Argentinian, now 37, has collected the award eight times while Ronaldo has five at 39 years old. They have both been left off this year’s list of 30 nominees, and no other previous winners are nominated - meaning a first-time winner is guaranteed.

Who are the favourites?

Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior are both up for the coveted prize this year and are among the frontrunners. Neither have won the prize before though Vinicius Junior finished sixth in the ranking in 2023, when Bellingham took home the Kopa Trophy for best under-21. The two collected another La Liga title and Champions League with Los Blancos.

Bellingham’s overhead kick against Slovakia in the Euros will not be forgotten soon as a notable international achievement, while the picture for his Brazilian colleague on the international stage is more mixed after he picked up a suspension through yellow cards that ruled him out of his side’s Copa América quarterfinal. Will his six goals in 10 Champions League games balance that out?

Another favourite is Rodri, whose national manager Luis de la Fuente already weighed in on the award after their European Championships victory: "For me Rodri is the best player in the world, please give him the Ballon d'Or now.” It’s not hard to see where de la Fuente is coming from.

The midfielder has sometimes been outshone at Manchester City by the likes of Erling Haaland bagging goals at the end of the pitch, but his work in the middle of it has been absolutely crucial to the club’s success. City’s defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup final ended his unbelievable streak of 74 matches unbeaten with the club; when he was suspended for three games earlier in the campaign, they lost all three. His influence on the international stage was clear, too, as he was named in the Euros team of the tournament. The win would be historic for his country, too - no Spaniard has taken the prize since 1960.

In the women’s category, Aitana Bonmati is a strong contender to retain her prize. The 26-year-old collected the league title and Champions League with Barcelona and, after taking home the trophy last year on the back of a World Cup win with Spain, has left herself in a strong position to triumph again. Several of the teammates Bonmati won the quadruple with at Barcelona are up for the prize too, including Caroline Graham Hansen, Salma Paralluelo, and Mariona Caldentey.

However, due to the resurgence of the US Women’s National Team, several Americans are also in the spotlight - the deadly front three of Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson are all in the running. England’s Lauren James is one of the biggest WSL stars in the mix - but the USWNT and Barcelona have five and six nominees respectively and are the camps to watch when the awards are announced.

Who was left out?

As in every single year, there are plenty of fans and players who’ll feel hard done by at their omission from the longlist. Real Madrid’s Rodrygo is among them - despite being part of the trophy-winning machine that earned several of his teammates a nod. The 23-year-old winger posted a collage of his achievements, including himself with the Champions League trophy, and included a laughing emoji in apparent incredulity at the snub.

Alvaro Morata’s exclusion also came as a surprise after he led Spain to European glory this summer - only to see his coach up for an award and several of his teammates, but not himself. The Spaniard also racked up 15 goals in La Liga - his performance at international and club level for Atlético Madrid had him tipped for a nomination by many, but his name was left off yesterday’s list.

Jamal Musiala was another player who impressed hugely at the Euros, in his case for hosts Germany, and had a strong season with Bayern Munich; the club’s director described his omission as ‘incomprehensible’.

Is missing out Messi a snub? Traditionally, players in the top European leagues dominate the Ballon d’Or, and Messi finally made the switch away from the continent to join Inter Miami last year, which will have counted against him. His performance for Argentina in the World Cup was undoubtedly the main factor in his 2023 win, and though this year saw him lift the Copa América with Argentina, the organisers have decided that that’s not enough.

In fact, the only two Argentinians nominated are Lautaro Martínez and Emi Martínez - though Alejandro Garnacho picked up a Kopa Trophy nod.

Naomi Girma will be disappointed to have missed out on a nomination; the 24-year-old was described by incoming US boss Emma Hayes as “the best defender I’ve ever seen.” She played every minute of their gold-medal winning campaign and is widely viewed as one of the stars of the USWNT’s new generation; her absence from the nominees is a huge shock.

Which other stars from the English leagues are nominated?

Rodri is the Premier League star seen as most likely to take home the trophy this year, but he is one of ten nominees from the English top flight. It’s been an excellent year for Arsenal and Manchester City with four nominees each - unsurprisingly Erling Haaland has earned his place on the list after picking up another Premier League Golden Boot. His inclusion in spite of his country Norway’s absence from the Euros speaks volumes on just how prolific he has been at club level.

Phil Foden and Rúben Dias join them on the list, while Arsenal are represented by Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, and William Saliba. Cole Palmer and Emiliano Martínez are also nominated.

Though Palmer is Chelsea’s only male nominee, they are represented well on the women’s list by Lauren James, Sjoeke Nüsken, Mayra Ramírez, and new signing Lucy Bronze. Their manager for the 2023/24 season Emma Hayes is up for the coaching prize - as is new boss Sonia Bompastor - and they are also nominated for best women’s club. There are seven nominees from the Women’s Super League overall, though both Bronze and Mariona Caldentey only arrived in the division this summer. Manchester City’s Yui Hasegawa and Lauren Hemp are also nominated.

There is no such award for women, but the men’s Kopa Trophy celebrates the best young players worldwide and is rewarded only to under-21s. Though Manchester United missed out on any senior nominations, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho are both up for that prize - as is Manchester City’s new signing Savinho. However, it’s hard to see any of them beating out wonderkid Lamine Yamal, whose performance at the Euros took the continent by storm - just in time for his 17th birthday the day before he played in the final.

The ceremony will take place on October 28 in Paris - the timing means some of the female nominees will struggle to attend as it aligns with the women’s international break, an issue highlighted by contenders in the past. Lionesses Lucy Bronze, Lauren Hemp, and Lauren James, for example, are likely to be suiting up for England’s match against South Africa the day after the ceremony - and might not be able to attend.