The 10 Biggest Names Not Nominated for 2026 Ballon d’Or

The shortlist for the Men’s Ballon d’Or award had some noticeable absentees, with several World Cup, Champions League and Premier League winners not included among the 30 nominated players.

The nominees for the most prestigious individual prize in soccer were unveiled on Tuesday, nearly seven weeks ahead of the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony. Paris Saint-Germain players dominated the list, taking up 10 spots following their successful Champions League title defense.

There was a healthy contingent of Spain players as well, recognized for the nation’s World Cup triumph this summer. Lionel Messi also bagged a nomination for dragging Argentina to a second-consecutive World Cup final.

Yet a handful of big names who made valuable contributions for club and country last season were left off the shortlist.

Cristiano Ronaldo

We have to start with the biggest name, even if his snub was not exactly a surprise. Cristiano Ronaldo did not earn a place among the 30 best players in the world, extending his exile from the award he won five times in his career.

The 41-year-old led Al Nassr to the Saudi Pro League title, scoring 28 goals along the way. Ronaldo then captained Portugal at this summer’s World Cup, where he only found the back of the net three times before the Seleção das Quinas were eliminated in the round of 16.

He might feel hard done by, considering fellow Saudi Pro League stars Sadio Mané and Julián Quiñones picked up nominations. The latter, though, won the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot and was sensational for Mexico, tallying five goal contributions in as many matches at the World Cup.

Pedri

Even the most casual fans know Pedri is one of the best midfielders in the world. The 23-year-old was a warrior for Barcelona last season, logging over 3,000 minutes across all competitions en route to the club’s La Liga and Spanish Super Cup triumphs.

His form took a dive toward the end of the season, but it was clear fitness issues and fatigue hindering his game rather than his own mistakes. It certainly didn’t help matters that he was eventually benched at the World Cup, replaced by Fabián Ruiz in Spain’s biggest matches, including the final against Argentina.

Still, there are not many—if any—midfielders in the sport capable of dictating the flow of play quite like Pedri. It’s definitely a head-scratcher that he is not among the 30 best players in the sport.

David Raya

Not a single goalkeeper earned a Ballon d’Or nomination in 2026. David Raya will be at the front of the long line of complainers, considering he took home a third-consecutive Premier League Golden Glove for his fantastic season at Arsenal.

The Spaniard kept 19 clean sheets in 37 Premier League appearances, only conceding 26 goals on the way to the club’s first Premier League title in 22 years. He also conceded just five goals in 14 Champions League matches, playing a major role in the Gunners’ runners-up finish.

Yet Raya did not play a single second for Spain at the World Cup this summer, which is perhaps the reason for his snub. A small consolation is his Yashin Trophy nomination.

Désiré Doué

Desiré Doué helped PSG claim another Champions League title. | Xavier Laine/Getty Images

Désiré Doué finished 15th in the voting for last year’s Men’s Ballon d’Or award, beating out the likes of Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland. Fast forward 12 months later and he could not even score a place on the 30-player shortlist.

It’s true Doué’s production dipped in 2025–26. The Frenchman tallied 13 goals and eight assists across all competitions last season, a solid drop off from his 15 goals and 14 assists the season prior.

But the 21-year-old still helped PSG retain their Champions League crown with nine goal contributions on Europe’s biggest stage. Doué couldn’t replicate his production for his country, though. He only scored one goal at this summer’s World Cup, and it came in France’s group stage rout over Norway.

Bradley Barcola

Speaking of PSG and France, Bradley Barcola was also left off the shortlist. The France international hovered around the same production as Doué for the Parisians; he ended the season with 13 goals and six assists to his name.

Barcola found more success for Les Bleus this summer than his fellow countryman, finding the back of the net three times at the World Cup despite fighting for minutes in Didier Deschamps’s starting XI.

The voters clearly viewed the 10 other PSG nominees more worthy of a Ballon d’Or nomination than Barcola. Still, the winger’s season was enough to secure a move to Liverpool in a deal worth up to $166 million (£123 million).

Bukayo Saka

Only three Arsenal players earned a place on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, and Bukayo Saka was not one of them. The winger had a rather underwhelming season by his standards, scoring just 11 goals in 49 appearances for the Gunners.

Fitness woes and Mikel Arteta’s defensive tactics did not help Saka shine, but the England international won’t care all that much considering he got to bring a Premier League title home to north London.

The 25-year-old also had a largely forgetful World Cup as he dealt with a nagging Achilles injury. All three of his goals at the showpiece event came in England’s dizzying victory over France in the third-place game.

Julián Alvarez

He might not be the biggest name on this list, but Julián Alvarez was surely engulfed in the biggest transfer saga of the summer. Before he engaged in a hostile battle with Atlético Madrid, the forward was leading the club to the 2025–26 Champions League semifinals and the Copa del Rey final.

Alvarez recorded 29 goal contributions across all competitions for Diego Simeone’s side. Most notably, he scored Atlético Madrid’s only goal in their Champions League semifinal tie with Arsenal.

A big World Cup likely would have been enough to get Alvarez on the shortlist, but he fell flat for Argentina. He only scored one goal in eight appearances and did not even register a single shot in 102 minutes against Spain.

Enzo Fernández

Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez celebrates goal vs. England in 2026 World Cup semifinal. — Enzo Fernández is hoping to put last season behind him. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Keeping on theme, Enzo Fernández also found himself swept up in controversy in 2025–26. The midfielder publicly flirted with a move out of west London amid Chelsea’s woeful season in which he was one of few bright spots.

The 25-year-old kept his crown as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, making 54 appearances for the Blues and tallying 26 goal contributions.

Unlike Alvarez, he put in strong showings at the World Cup this summer in the lead-up to the final. His passing was as impressive as ever, and he scored a last-gasp winner against Egypt in the round of 16 before his goal started the comeback against England in the semifinals.

The red card he received in the final tainted his entire tournament, but in the end, he got his wish at the club level; Fernández completed a record-tying $169 million (£125 million) Deadline Day move to Manchester City.

Raphinha

Last year, Raphinha was one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or. The Brazilian registered a career-best campaign for Barcelona en route to the club’s domestic treble, and all it got him was a fifth-place finish.

Raphinha no doubt had revenge on the mind in 2025–26, but almost nothing played in his favor. He missed chunks of action due to hamstring issues, forcing him to miss out on Barcelona’s biggest Champions League and Copa del Rey matches.

The injuries followed him to the World Cup, where he only made two lackluster appearances for Brazil before missing the rest of the tournament.

Cole Palmer

Cole Palmer finished eighth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting. What unfolded over the next year was a series of missteps the midfielder is desperate to forget.

For Chelsea, Palmer was anything but impressive, constantly burdened by goal droughts and injury woes. He scored just four goals in the Premier League by February and ended the season with 10, three of which came against the now-relegated Wolves.

It was a season so underwhelming that Thomas Tuchel left Palmer out of his World Cup squad. The decision came back to haunt England, and it also no doubt played a role in the player’s declining stock, which is already back on the rise under Xabi Alonso.

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