Ronaldo misses out on Ballon d’Or for the first time in 19 years

For the first time since 2003, Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo was not included in the list of 30 athletes contenders for the Golden Ball award. This follows from list nominees on the website of the French magazine France Football.

Nominees include: Argentine striker Lionel Messi, current prize winner Karim Benzema, who plays for Napoli Khvich Kvaratskhelia.

38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is a five-time winner of the Golden Ball (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), European champion, winner of the League of Nations. He played for the Spanish “Real”, the English “Manchester United”, the Italian “Juventus” and the Portuguese “Sporting”. In December 2022, he moved to Al Nasr.

Lusine Balasyan