Messi was omitted from the Ballon d’Or candidate list.

Lionel Messi has been dropped from the nomination list for the first Ballon d’Or award.
Messi has won this award eight times. But this time his name is not on the list of 30. Submission date is Oct. 28.

Messi’s fierce rival and five-time champion Cristiano Ronaldo has also been kept on the bench. This is the first time since 2003 that neither of them is on the list.