With Ronaldo and Messi missing from the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d'Or award, does this signal the definite end of an era? For the first time in almost forever, neither of the two of the greatest footballers to ever grace the game is featured in the shortlist for the award, although Messi is the current holder of the title and despite his winning the Copa America in July, it was not enough to get him among the finalists. There's not much for him to desire anyway after a record eight Ballon d'or awards.
I'm particularly glad that four Arsenal players made it into the list: Odeegard, Saka, Saliba and Rice. This is a big testament of how much Arsenal have come under Arteta and although I know none of them would win or make it to the final three, I'm excited to see how far any of them can go.
The biggest winner I can see on this list for me is Chelsea's Cole Palmer. From a shocking exit from Manchester City to establishing himself in the Chelsea first team in his breakthrough season is phenomenonal.
His 22 goals and 11 assists last season were one of the few reasons Chelsea are still playing anywhere near Europe this season. His importance to the Chelsea side is reiterated with his omission from the Chelsea Conference league squad for the opening rounds by Enzo Maresca, allowing him focus on "more important" games. For a rival fan I must say that his talent is undiluted and to deny this will be criminal. No matter how far or not he goes on the list, it was definitely a monumental stride in his career.
The biggest miss from the list for me would be Jamal Musiala. I thought he had an excellent season and his 12 goals and 8 assists may have gone unnoticed due to Leverkusen's exploit in the league. He was also a standout player for Germany at the Euros, tieing with three goals as the competition's top scorer. His camp will definitely be gutted, but his talent is undeniable.
The favourite for me to win the award would obviously be Erling Haaland with his successful title-winning campaign that saw Manchester City claim their fourth straight league title and his second consecutive EPL golden ball with 27 goals gives him a strong chance.
Jude Bellingham and Vini Junior's success in the Champions league with Real Madrid, as well as their winning the La Liga also makes them strong candidates, but I'd stick with Haaland winning it ahead of those two.
My final three in no particular order, aside from the winner would be
Haaland
Rodri/Vini
Olmo/Bellingham
Who is your surpriae inclusion or omission and your favorite to win the award?