Paris Saint-Germain duo of Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr were sensationally excluded from a 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d’Or award.
The organizers of the event, France Football, published the list of the finalists on Friday.
It is the first time since 2005 that Messi will not make the cut.
From the first time the Argentina captain embarked on a run of 15 consecutive nominations and won it seven times – the highest by any player.
However, he has been snubbed following a poor first season at PSG, where he netted only 11 goals in all competitions.
Messi’s team-mate, Neymar, is also absent from a list that features firm favourite Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland were also included in the list of this year’s nominees.
