Lionel Messi Ballon d’Or snub is ridiculous

Father Time may be catching up with the Barcelona legend, but his omission from the 2024 nominees list just doesn’t sit right

The Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era is officially over. For the first time since 2003, neither man has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or. They have shared 13 Golden Balls between them over the past 16 years, but barring an unlikely turn of events, will probably never be back on football’s most prestigious individual stage.This is the moment most footballing purists have been dreading for some time. Both players have transcended the sport with their unique talent and longevity at the very highest level. What they have achieved may never be matched, which is why a period of mourning is inevitable as Messi and Ronaldo wind down their respective careers.

But in Messi’s case, it has come too soon, because the Argentine forward has shown he remains a master of his craft for club and country over the past 12 months. Yes, at the grand old age of 37, he has slowed down a bit, but it is ridiculous that he has not been recognised as one of the 30 best players on the planet.

There is only one explanation: Messi has been penalised for moving to Inter Miami. MLS is considered inferior to Europe’s top five leagues, so he no longer figures into the thinking of Ballon d’Or organisers France Football. Messi’s powers haven’t gone, he’s simply a victim of the award’s clear European bias, and deserves far better after giving so much to the beautiful game.

Not at same stage as CR7

Ronaldo experienced what Messi is feeling now in 2023. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star saw his record run of 19 consecutive Ballon d’Or nominations end following his transfer to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr.

The difference is, that wasn’t an injustice. Ronaldo had little choice but to leave Europe after a sad end to his second spell at Old Trafford and a woeful showing for Portugal at the 2022 World Cup. It doesn’t matter that he has since scored 62 goals in 68 appearances for Al-Nassr; Ronaldo is not a world-class player anymore, which was obvious once again during his country’s failed Euro 2024 campaign.

The 39-year-old has reached the point where he is damaging his legacy by refusing to retire, but Messi is nowhere near that stage. The Argentine maestro still passes the eye test, having adapted his game to account for the inevitable physical decline that comes with age.

Messi has evolved into something of a quarterback for La Albiceleste and Miami, dropping deep to receive the ball before surveying the pitch for runners or opportunities to advance with quick one-twos. He is often accused of walking around too much, but that’s simply an energy-conservation tactic. He picks his moments to spark into life, and more often than not, makes a devastating impact when he does, whether by executing a defence-splitting pass, a sumptuous finish out of nowhere, or a trademark low centre of gravity run.

“I know that the moment I feel that I am no longer able to perform, that I no longer enjoy or help my team-mates, I will quit,” Messi said when quizzed on when he plans to retire back in March. Unlike Ronaldo, he remains a help rather than a hindrance. There is still no better sight in the game than Messi with the ball at his feet, and his wonderous abilities must be celebrated for as long as possible.

Argentina ‘still built around’ Messi

Messi also continues to deliver at an elite level. The Argentina captain recorded eight goal contributions in 12 international appearances across the 2024-25 season, with head coach Lionel Scaloni admitting “the team is still built around him”. Argentina are sitting at the top of the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying table, with 15 points out of a possible 18, and Messi has featured in five of their six games. He could scarcely have done more in the build-up to their Copa America defence, and when the tournament finally kicked off in the United States, Messi was ready to shine again.

Scaloni’s side earned a hard-fought 2-0 win in their opening game against Canada, with Messi playing a key role in both goals to cap a majestic all-round display. He was similarly influential in a subsequent 1-0 win over Chile that booked Argentina’s spot in the quarter-finals, but had to be rested for their final group game against Peru after picking up a thigh injury.

Messi looked a bit rusty upon his return for the last-eight tie against Ecuador, and missed a penalty in the shootout, but Argentina still managed to progress, and he rediscovered his best form in the semi-finals. Messi grabbed his first goal of the tournament as La Albiceleste ousted Canada once again, deservedly winning the Man-of-the-Match award in the process.

The final against Colombia would turn out to be a bittersweet occasion for Messi, who exited the pitch in the 64th minute with a severely swollen ankle before Argentina went on to clinch the trophy thanks to an extra-time goal from Lautaro Martinez. For once, Messi was not the headline act for his country, but that doesn’t mean he let anybody down.

Messi was named in the Team of the Tournament, having created more clear-cut chances than any other player (seven) while coming in second for key passes (14) – per Who Scored. If France Football needed conclusive evidence of Messi still being among the best in the business, this was it.

‘Can’t be stopped’

Unfortunately, Messi has not kicked a ball since the Copa America, which may have counted against him when the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees list was being put together, because it adds to the narrative that his body is now failing him. Since joining Inter Miami in June last year, Messi has missed a total of 25 games for club and country due to various niggles.

Indeed, Messi hasn’t been able to build much of a rhythm in the U.S. because of these fitness issues. But that just makes his early record in the pink and black of Miami all the more remarkable. The former Barcelona playmaker has scored 25 goals in 29 games for the MLS club to date, including 10 during their run to a historic Leagues Cup crown last season.

Miami didn’t manage to make the 2023 MLS playoffs, but Messi fever gripped America, and Tata Martino was able to strengthen the squad even further in the off-season. Luis Suarez followed Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to DRV PNK Stadium to complete Miami’s contingent of ex-Barca stars, and they’ve since made great strides forward.

Messi played in 12 of Miami’s first 18 MLS game this term, helping them rise to the top of the Eastern Conference Standings. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner became the fastest player to reach 25 goal involvements in a single season, breaking Carlos Vela’s previous record by four games, with five of his assists coming in a 6-2 decimation of the New York Red Bulls.

“Ultimately what we’re seeing is, he can’t be stopped,” former NYRB star Bradley Wright-Phillips told MLSSoccer.com. “You get tight, he’s going to roll you, drop the shoulder and get by you. Once that ball gets to Messi’s feet, forget about it. It’s too late.”

Despite the injuries, Messi has exceeded expectations for the David Beckham-owned team. MLS is comparable to the Saudi Pro League as a competition still lacking real competitive weight, but that doesn’t diminish Messi’s performance. Even putting the goals aside, Messi was providing insane entertainment value and dragging Miami up to never-before-seen heights before he went to the Copa.

Who should have made way?

To be clear: we are not arguing that Messi should be in contention to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or. There are plenty of nominees far more deserving of the prize, including frontrunners Vinicius Jr, Rodri and Jude Bellingham.

But there are at least seven nominees who could have been sacrificed to give Messi the spot he deserved. Four of them have come from Arsenal, with Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, William Saliba making the cut despite another trophy-less season under Mikel Arteta; and none enjoyed any tangible international success either.

Mats Hummels, meanwhile, was rewarded for his colossal displays during Borussia Dortmund’s run to the Champions League final. The France Football panel didn’t seem to factor in that BVB were soundly beaten in the final by Real Madrid, or that Hummels ended up being left out of Germany’s Euro 2024 squad.

Then there’s Artem Dovbyk, who won the La Liga Golden Boot with 24 goals for surprise package Girona. It was undoubtedly a fine campaign for the Ukrainian and Girona wouldn’t have qualified for the Champions League without him, but it still feels like a bit of a stretch, especially given Ollie Watkins was overlooked after a similarly strong year with Aston Villa.

However, the most surprising nomination by far was the one for Vitinha. The Portuguese midfielder only played 28 games for Paris Saint-Germain en route to their customary Ligue 1 title, and underwhelmed at the Euros. How on earth did he get a nod over Messi?!

Time for a change

When Messi was given his eighth Ballon d’Or last October, he became the first man to win the prize while playing his club football outside of Europe. But his impressive start to life in Miami had nothing to do with his success. Argentina secured their third World Cup at Qatar 2022 largely thanks to Messi, who “completed football” by finally landing the one piece of silverware that had eluded him, and that monumental achievement had to be marked properly. He was also still in Europe at PSG that season, and added a second Ligue 1 winners’ medal to his collection while racking up 41 goal contributions.

The problem now, is that Messi is no longer on the only continent that matters in the Ballon d’Or reckoning. The award was first opened to non-European players in 1995, and every winner since then has played in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Karim Benzema, the 2022 winner, was nominated after moving to Al-Ittihad the following year, but that was only on the strength of his impressive final season with Real Madrid. The Saudi Pro League isn’t suddenly going to become a go-to place for anyone harbouring Ballon d’Or ambitions, and nor will MLS.

The Brazilian Serie A has long been considered the strongest league outside of Europe, while the top teams in South America compete in the Copa Libertadores – which is supposed to be the equivalent of the Champions League, but never receives any recognition from the Ballon d’Or panelists. Juan Roman Riquelme could attest to that, as the former Barcelona midfielder won three league titles and two Copa Libertadores at Boca Juniors at the start of his career, but wasn’t nominated for the Ballon d’Or until after he’d moved to Europe.

Some fans lobbied for James Rodriguez to make the 2024 list after his Player of the Tournament showing for Colombia at the Copa America, but the former Real Madrid man never stood a chance, because he was employed by Sao Paulo last season. The Ballon d’Or is, and always has been a Eurocentric prize, but it’s high time a change was made, especially if Messi keeps fighting off Father Time.

The bigger picture

On the bright side, Messi won’t be losing sleep over this snub. Before scooping his last Golden Ball, the Inter Miami forward told reporters: “The most important thing for me was always the awards at the group level. I was lucky to have achieved everything in my career and after the World Cup, I’m thinking about that award much less, my biggest award was that (the World Cup). If it (the Ballon d’Or) arrives, good, and if not, nothing happens. I was lucky to achieve all my goals in my career and now I have new goals with this club.”

That humble persona is one of the reasons Messi is so beloved. In a perfect world, he would have won the Ballon d’Or every year between 2009 and 2023. In terms of pure footballing brilliance, Messi was unrivalled during that period, but has always been able to keep his ego in check.

Messi is now viewing his Stateside journey with Miami as a bonus chapter in his story, as he said to ESPN in the summer: “I enjoy everything much more, because I’m aware that there’s less and less to go and I have a good time at the club.” That’s a refreshing outlook, but just because Messi is at peace with no longer being in the European spotlight, doesn’t mean he should be forgotten.

When Messi is enjoying his football, he’s still the biggest draw in the sport. And the Ballon d’Or should be available to him for as long as that is the case, regardless of where he is based.