Shocked at the 30-player shortlist’s omission of Messi and Neymar from the Ballon d’Or 2022

Shocked at the 30-player shortlist’s omission of Messi and Neymar from the Ballon d’Or 2022

Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. of Paris Saint-Germain were shockingly left off the 30-player shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d’Or award.

The list of the contestants’ finalists was released on Friday by the event’s organisers, France Football.

Messi won’t be selected for the first time since 2005.

The captain of Argentina began a streak of 15 consecutive nominations after winning it for the first time, the most of any player.

He scored just 11 goals in all competitions during his debut season with PSG, which cost him the award.

Neymar, a teammate of Messi’s, is not included on the list, which also includes Karim Benzema, a fan favourite striker for Real Madrid.

The list of nominees for this year included players like Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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