For the first time in 21 years, neither Messi nor Ronaldo are on the Ballon d’Or shortlist .

Messi is the number 1 symbol of the Golden Ball award. Photo: France Football

The winners of this year’s Ballon d’Or awards will be announced on October 28 at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris, France. The event is scheduled to take place from 7 p.m. GMT, or around 2 a.m. on October 29 (Vietnam time).

The Ballon d’Or awards in each category will be decided by votes from 100 journalists from around the world. For the men’s award, votes will come from journalists from countries whose national teams are in the FIFA Top 100. For the women’s award, the number is reduced to the Top 50. Each journalist will select 10 players from the 30 shortlisted players and vote on a points scale.

The first place will be worth 15 points, decreasing until the 10th place on the ballot paper will be worth only 1 point. A player named in a category will be the one who has won the most points. In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided based on the first place factor in each ballot. Whoever has received the most votes from the journalists in first place will be the winner.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or is about to announce the winners. Photo: France Football

From 2022, France Football changed the rules so that only journalists from countries with teams in the FIFA Top 100 can vote. This is to limit emotional and uncalculated votes. For example, Sri Lankan journalist Hafiz Marikar voted for Leonardo Bonucci in 2017, Eden Hazard in 2018 and Trent Alexander-Arnold in 2019. Sri Lanka has a national team currently ranked 200th in FIFA.

Back to Lionel Messi, who holds the most Golden Balls in history (8). He became the first player in MLS history to win this prestigious title. This year, Messi is no longer in the Top 30. The editorial board of France Football and L’Equipe believes that there are many other players playing better than El Pulga at the moment.

It’s time for Messi to stop playing at the Ballon d’Or after a record 8 titles. Photo: France Football

Messi ‘s statistics have not been bad since the 2022 World Cup, especially during the Ballon d’Or candidate period (from August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024). However, the 37-year-old superstar has suffered too many injuries. During that time, Messi scored 22 goals and had 13 assists for Inter Miami.

The quality of MLS is much worse than European leagues, so that’s why Messi’s performance at Inter Miami is not highly appreciated. Even at the recent Copa America 2024, he only scored 1 goal on the Albiceleste’s journey to the championship. In 2021, Messi was voted the best player of the tournament, but this year, that award belongs to Colombia’s James Rodriguez. Like Messi, James is also not in the Top 30 of the 2024 Golden Ball .

List of Top 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or for men’s players. Photo: France Football