Messi Misses Ballon d'Or Nomination for the First Time Since 2005

For the first time since 2005, Argentine Lionel Messi is absent from the list of candidates for the Ballon d'Or awarded by the French magazine "France Football" for the year 2022. Brazilian Neymar is also missing from the nominations for the first time since 2011. Meanwhile, Egyptian star Mohamed Salah and Liverpool winger is included in a list that features four African players, alongside Senegalese Sadio Mane, Algerian Riyad Mahrez, and Ivorian Sebastien Haller. Lionel Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d'Or titles with 7, the latest being last year's edition. Cristiano Ronaldo follows in second place with 5 titles, the last of which was in 2017.