The Argentine football sensation has paid a steep price for a lackluster debut year at Paris Saint-Germain which has contributed to his exclusion from the 30-person list for the prized football award.
Messi, who took home the trophy last year, has consistently been nominated since 2005 and, with the exception of 2018, had consistently appeared in the top three.
But because he moved from Barcelona to Paris, Messi, 35, will not receive the prize in 2022. The Ballon d’Or no longer honors the best player over the course of a calendar year, which has also worked against the Argentine superstar.
Instead, it is determined by a season’s record that emphasizes the individual performances and the decisive and remarkable nature of the nominees.
Messi was unable to imprint his brilliance on a PSG squad that was in desperate need of a Champions League victory after departing Barcelona in the summer of 2021.
The eventual champion Real Madrid eliminated the French champions in the round of 16 to claim the title.
Messi only scored 11 goals for PSG in total, and the judges for the Ballon d’Or, which will be presented in Paris on October 17, were unimpressed by his mediocre club play.
Neymar, his PSG teammate, and pal, who scored 13 goals in 28 games this season, is also absent from the nominees.
