While all the players who were named as Golden Ball nominees were deserving of their place, there were others who had decent claims to a spot, too
Always a highly-anticipated day in the football calendar, the nominees for the 2024 Ballon d'Or and its associated prizes were announced on Wednesday, September 4, with 60 players in the running to claim a Golden Ball across the men's and women's awards.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr and Manchester City midfielder Rodri are regarded as the favourites to claim the men's prize, while Jude Bellingham could also make a case given his form for Madrid and England last season. The trio were joined on the men's shortlist by the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.
On the women's side, 2023 winner Aitana Bonmati is the favourite to defend her crown after guiding Barcelona to a brilliant quadruple as well as winning the Nations League with Spain. She faces competition from club-mates such as Caroline Graham Hansen and Alexia Putellas, as well as a host of the United States' Olympic gold medallists, including attacking trio Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson.
But despite the size of the shortlists for the main prizes, there are always players who miss out whose performances over the past 12 months deserve recognition. So who were those players in 2024? GOAL breaks down the year's biggest Ballon d'Or snubs…
GettyLionel Messi (Inter Miami)
For the first time since 2003, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo has made it onto the Ballon d'Or shortlist, marking an official changing of the guard after the duo shared 13 of the last 19 Golden Balls. But while Ronaldo's omission was widely expected after a trophy-less season at Al-Nassr and a disappointing Euro 2024 with Portugal, Messi did at least have a case for inclusion.
The eight-time winner captained Argentina to the Copa America title in the summer for their third-successive major tournament triumph, and while he was nowhere near as influential as in the previous two, Messi still had his moments for La Albiceleste.
At club level, it's fair to point out that the Leagues Cup triumph that he drove Inter Miami too last August technically fell inside the voting period, while he has managed 14 goals and 11 assists in just 15 games for the MLS outfit in 2024. However, all that wasn't enough to get him among the elite 30 this time around.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesAlvaro Morata (AC Milan)
Messi wasn't the only international captain to lift a trophy this summer, only to miss out on Ballon d'Or recognition, as Alvaro Morata failed to be nominated despite leading to Spain to glory at the European Championship.
Morata may have only scored once during the tournament in Germany, but his all-round play allowed others, such as Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, to thrive in wide areas. At club level, meanwhile, he managed 21 goals in all competitions, though Atletico Madrid falling away during the second half of the season likely played its part in Morata – who has since joined AC Milan – missing out.
Getty ImagesNaomi Girma (San Diego Wave)
Back in 2023, the U.S. women's national team could boast just one Ballon d'Or nominee after their disastrous World Cup campaign. But after a year in which they won both the Gold Cup and Olympics, there are five Americans on the 2024 shortlist. Shockingly, though, Naomi Girma is not among them.
The 24-year-old can lay claim to being one of the very best centre-backs on the planet, and she played a key role in France over the summer as Emma Hayes' side took gold. The form of her club side, the San Diego Wave, may have played a role in her missing out on the Ballon d'Or shortlist, but Girma is far from a problem in the NSWL. Rather, she is one of the league's outstanding individuals.
Getty ImagesRodrygo (Real Madrid)
After a season in which they won both La Liga and the Champions League, six members of the 2023-24 Real Madrid squad – Vinicius, Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Fede Valverde and Antonio Rudiger – made it onto the Ballon d'Or shortlist. Few others at the Bernabeu could have claimed they did enough to join them, but Rodrygo could certainly have made a case.
The Brazil forward totalled 17 goals and nine assists for Los Blancos last term, including the key strike at the Etihad Stadium which helped Madrid eventually see off Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals. His form did admittedly fluctuate, while he couldn't lift Brazil at the Copa America, but given the trophies he did contribute towards winning, Rodrygo is certainly right to feel short-changed when it comes to individual recognition.