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Xtra Time Web Desk: For the first time since 2003, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been left out of the Ballon d'Or nominations. The prestigious list of 30 players, announced Wednesday, does not include the record eight-time winner Messi or Ronaldo, who has won the award five times. The Ballon d'Or will be awarded on October 28.

Among the top contenders are Vinicius Junior, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane. Real Madrid stars Vinicius and Bellingham were instrumental in securing the club’s La Liga title and its 16th Champions League trophy. Haaland topped the Premier League’s goal-scoring charts, while Kane achieved the same feat for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Mbappé, who moved to Real Madrid after six seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, is also in the running for the top prize.

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Messi, currently with Inter Miami, is working his way back from injury. He won the Ballon d'Or last year and first claimed the accolade in 2009, beginning a streak that saw him dominate the competition for four consecutive years. His first nomination came in 2006.

Ronaldo, who made his Ballon d'Or debut in 2004, and Messi combined to win the award 13 times between 2008 and 2021.

On the women’s side, five players from the U.S. national team—Lindsey Horan, Alyssa Naeher, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson—have made the nominee list following their 2024 Olympic gold medal win.

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Spain, which finished fourth in the Olympics a year after their World Cup triumph, has five nominees, including Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, Patri Guijarro, Salma Paralluelo, and Alexia Putellas. The Ballon d'Or Féminin has gone to Spanish players for the past three years, with Putellas winning twice and Bonmatí taking the honor last year.

England, runners-up in the 2023 World Cup, have three nominees: Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, and Lucy Bronze.