‘The end of an era’ – Cristiano Ronaldo officially was not nominated for the BALLON D’OR for the first time since 2005

Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland lead the 30-man list of candidates for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award after France Football magazine announced the nominees on Wednesday.

Messi’s nomination comes a year after he was omitted from the shortlist. Should he win the men’s Ballon d’Or this year, it will mark his eighth time winning the award — the second most is Cristiano Ronaldo with five. In February, Messi also won FIFA the Best award for a second time.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Oct. 30.

Messi led Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup in December — the only major trophy that had eluded him in his 21-year career, finally claiming the trophy at his fifth attempt.

At club level, Messi had a mixed year. He struggled at Paris Saint-Germain as the French side were dumped out of the Champions League at the round-of-16 stage for a second consecutive season, although he did help the side lift an 11th Ligue 1 title.

However, he ended his stay in Paris this summer, opting to join Inter Miami on a free transfer, where he has made an instant impact by helping them to win the Leagues Cup and claim a spot in the final of the U.S. Open Cup.

Meanwhile, Erling Haaland was also nominated and could provide Messi’s strongest competition for the award. The Norway striker scored 52 goals in 53 games in all competitions as Manchester City clinched the Premier League, FA Cup, and the Champions League titles.

The 23-year-old broke the Premier League’s single-season scoring record with 36 goals in his debut campaign in England.

The striker also won a number of individual awards for his stunning performances which included PFA Player of the Year, Premier League’s Player of the Season and Football Writers’ Association’s Men’s Player of the Year.

Unsurprisingly, players from Manchester City and Argentina dominate this year’s list of nominees. Seven players who helped City win the treble last season, including Haaland, made the shortlist while there are four Argentines, including Messi, who were part of their country’s third World Cup triumph.

Full list of men’s Ballon d’Or nominees:

André Onana – Manchester United/Cameroon

Josko Gvardiol – Manchester City/Croatia

Karim Benzema – Al Ittihad

Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich/Germany

Mohamed Salah – Liverpool/Egypt

Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England

Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England

Randal Kolo Muani – Paris Saint-Germain/France

Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City/Belgium

Bernardo Silva – Manchester City/Portugal

Emiliano Martínez – Aston Villa/Argentina