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The nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or had been introduced on Wednesday night with France Soccer journal revealing the nominees included on the checklist for this yr’s award. Sixty gamers have discovered themselves within the operating; 30 for the boys’s award and 30 for the ladies’s award. Among the many males’s gamers nominated are Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé.

Months after inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar, Lionel Messi additionally finds himself included after being left off the 2022 Ballon d’Or checklist completely. Harry Kane has additionally acquired a nod, as have Arsenal duo Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.

HERE ARE ALL THE BALLON D’OR NOMINEES! 🌕✨#ballondor pic.twitter.com/hg1ZByzhDV

— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@ballondor) September 6, 2023

Nevertheless, there may be one identify that stands as a obvious omission in Cristiano Ronaldo, the second most embellished participant within the historical past of the Ballon d’Or, who has did not make the award checklist for the primary time in twenty years.

Certainly, the final time Ronaldo was not included as a nominee was 2003 through the very first season of his first stint as a Manchester United participant. Listed below are an inventory of information to assist put that astonishing 20-year nomination streak right into a little bit of perspective.

1. The primary time Ronaldo was included on the Ballon d’Or shortlist in 2004, Bellingham was simply over one yr outdated (1 yr and 4 months).

2. The 2004 shortlist was revealed on Nov. 9, two days earlier than Manchester United performed out a colorless 0-0 draw towards Manchester Metropolis within the derby. After making a sluggish begin to the season, it took Ronaldo one other month to register his first Premier League purpose (in a 3-0 victory over Southampton on Dec. 4, 2004)

3. Ronaldo acquired 19 consecutive Ballon d’Or nominations (a person document) and located his method onto the shortlist each single subsequent yr from the age of 19 via to 37.

4. Ronaldo was pitted towards Zinedine Zidane on the 2004 Ballon d’Or shortlist, who later ended up teaching the Portuguese star at Actual Madrid. Andrea Pirlo was additionally included on the 2004 longlist and duly went onto coach Ronaldo throughout his third and ultimate full season at Juventus.

What’s extra, Ronaldo was enjoying in a 2004-05 Manchester United aspect that included Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick, who had been each on the teaching employees through the veteran ahead’s second stint at Outdated Trafford.

5. Ronaldo additionally performed towards Robbie Savage, who was a part of Birmingham Metropolis’s squad through the 2004-05 Premier League season. Such was the previous’s longevity that he truly skilled alongside Savage’s teenage son, Charlie, as a part of the United first-team squad throughout his second spell from 2021 to 2022.

6. 4 years after his maiden Ballon d’Or nomination, Ronaldo received the inaugural Puskas Award for probably the most stunning purpose of the yr together with his sensational 40-yard strike towards Porto within the first-leg of the 2008-09 Champions League quarterfinals.

7. After all, Ronaldo has additionally received the Ballon d’Or outright on 5 separate events with the primary coming in 2008 adopted swiftly by wins in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. His glorious profession haul is second solely to Messi, who has received the award seven occasions and counting.