It is not only Cristiano Ronaldo, the big names missing in the Ballon d'Or list

Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't selected in the shortlist of nominees for the Ballon d'Or 2023. This is the first time in the last 20 years that Ronaldo didn't make it into the shortlist. This may have been the end of one of the greatest rivalries in sports history: Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo.

This year's favorites to win the Ballon d'Or seem to be Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland. After his long-waited World Cup win, the Argentine has a very high chance to win his 8th Ballon d'Or. Haaland also had an incredible season: he broke the record for most goals in a single Premier League season and won the treble with Manchester City.

Some big names were also included in the shortlist for the award. Kylian Mbappe, Rodri, Harry Kane, Luka Modric, Jude Bellingham, Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne, Vinicius, Julian Alvarez, and some other world class names appear in the shortlist.

The big names missing in the Ballon d'Or list

Cristiano Ronaldo is not the only one missing in the list. Big players like Marcus Rashford, John Stones, Enzo Fernández, Ter Stegen, Courtois, Neymar, De Jong and Rafael Leao weren't selected by France Football to win the award.