It has been awhile since Manchester United has had a player on the list of nominees for the Ballon d’Or, so congratulations to No. 1 goalkeeper Andre Onana. Even if the reason he’s on here is because of what he accomplished with his most recent former club.
There are 23 names on the short list, but one name missing is United club legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who had made the cut every year since 2003.
Ronaldo, who left United for Al-Nassr in January, has won this award five times. As for Onana, he’s off to a rough start at United, and he hasn’t looked like the player he was at Inter Milan.
Then again, it’s still very early, and you have to love the emotion that he plays with- it really makes everyone around him, or even just watching, get more into the game.
Lionel Messi, now with Inter Miami, is considered the front-runner to win the award. The current holder of the trophy is Karim Benzema, who is now with Al-Ittihad.
Men’s Ballon d’Or Nominee List in Full
Andre Onana – Manchester United/Cameroon
Josko Gvardiol – Manchester City/Croatia
Karim Benzema – Al Ittihad
Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich/Germany
Mohamed Salah – Liverpool/Egypt
Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England
Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England
Randal Kolo Muani – Paris Saint-Germain/France
Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City/Belgium
Bernardo Silva – Manchester City/Portugal
Emiliano Martínez – Aston Villa/Argentina
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli/Georgia
Rúben Dias – Manchester City/Portugal
Nicolo Barella – Inter Milan/Italy
Erling Haaland – Manchester City/Norway
Yassine Bounou – Al Hilal/Morocco
Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal/Norway
Julián Álvarez – Manchester City/Argentina
Ilkay Gündogan – Barcelona/Germany
Vinícius Júnior – Real Madrid/Brazil
Lionel Messi – Inter Miami/Argentina
Rodri – Manchester City/Spain
Lautaro Martínez – Inter Milan/Argentina
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid/France
Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona/Poland
Kylian Mbappé – Paris Saint-Germain/France
Kim Min-jae – Napoli/South Korea
Victor Osimhen – Napoli/Nigeria
Luka Modric – Real Madrid/Croatia
Harry Kane – Bayern Munich/England
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.