4 min readSep 9, 2026 11:04 AM IST
Twenty years after his first Ballon d’Or nomination, Lionel Messi has made the cut for the 2026 edition as France Football unveiled the shortlist on Tuesday.
The shortlist was expectedly dominated by the best performers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as well as the Paris Saint-Germain side that lifted a second successive Champions League title earlier this year. Messi, who had a record-breaking World Cup run leading Argentina to a runners-up finish behind Spain, was among three men named in the shortlist despite featuring in club football outside Europe. Al-Nassr’s Sadio Mané and Al-Qadsiah’s Julian Quinones join Messi in this club.