Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed on 2026 Ballon d'Or finalist list

Cristiano Ronaldo 's unfortunate streak of Ballon d'Or nominations seems to continue. The ghost of a failed Ballon d'Or finalist list has again come at this time of year to haunt Ronaldo for the fourth time in a row. A winner of five Ballon d'Or awards, he has been missing from the list for the last four years and has again failed to make it this year.

Despite helping Al-Nassr capture the Saudi Pro League title, Ronaldo's personal achievements and a disappointing FIFA World Cup run were not enough to earn him a nomination.

The finalist list for the 2026 Ballon d'Or award is now out, and it boasts the top 30 players of this year . After a successful 2026 FIFA World Cup and domestic campaign, Bayern Munich 's Harry Kane is a top favorite, followed by Lionel Messi and Spain 's captain Rodri .

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Ronaldo and Messi won thirteen Ballon d'Or trophies between them from 2008 to 2023. Ronaldo won in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. While Messi won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023. The past decade was mostly dominated by Messi and Ronaldo, while Dembélé managed to win in 2025 , and Rodri and Benzema secured it in 2024 and 2022. Additionally, the 2019 Ballon d'Or was won by Croatia 's Luka Modric .

The complete list of the 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Paris Saint-Germain

Ferran Torres – Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain