Cristiano Ronaldo has kept his nose in front of great rival Lionel Messi in one particular Ballon d'Or metric. The Al-Nassr captain still leads the Inter Miami star for the most appearances on the award's nominee list in history.
France Football magazine has revealed the final list of 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, drawing together the biggest names in world football. Among them is Messi, back in the reckoning after a remarkable World Cup with Argentina.
Spain, the world champions, dominate the list, joined by a cluster of Paris Saint-Germain players fresh from their Champions League triumph in the 2025-2026 season.
A handful of names came from outside Europe's big five leagues too. Al-Nassr's Sadio Mané and Al-Qadsiah's Julián Quiñones made the cut, while Messi stood as the sole representative of the American league.
Messi closes in on Ronaldo's record
Messi's inclusion in the 2026 shortlist marks the 17th time he has appeared on the list of nominees, according to Spanish newspaper "AS". That places him second among the most-nominated players in the award's history.
Ronaldo leads his old rival by a single nomination. The Portugal forward has featured on the list 18 times, despite missing out this year.
His first nomination arrived in 2005. The most recent came in 2022.
Italy's Paolo Maldini sits third with 13 nominations, ahead of Dutchman Johan Cruyff and German Franz Beckenbauer on 12 apiece, alongside France's Karim Benzema.
Just behind them came Zlatan Ibrahimović, Gianluigi Buffon, Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini and Eusébio, each with 11 nominations.
Messi ahead in number of awards
The scales tip the other way when it comes to actually lifting the trophy. For all Ronaldo's edge in nominations, Messi comes out on top here.
The Argentine holds the record for most Ballon d'Or wins, having claimed the prize on eight occasions to Ronaldo's five.
Between them, Messi and Ronaldo remain the only two players to have won the Ballon d'Or more than once this century.
You can discuss topics and news in greater depth on the "Kooora" forums