By Sedara Philip
It’s that time of year again as the nominations list for the latest Ballon d’Or award have been revealed ahead of the awards ceremony in late October.
The award is given to the player with the most votes for their performances across the latest season, rather than the calendar year. Karim Benzema is the latest to lift the iconic golden ball trophy, while both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have become serial winners of the competition over the past two decades
As everyone starts to think about which players could possibly win it this time around, the nominations list gives an indication at which players are in contention. Arsenal have Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka nominated, while England star Jude Bellingham is also up for the award.
There are some notable absences from the list though, some of which may frustrate supporters of certain clubs. One of those may be Chelsea, who have had an admittedly poor season or so, but have still had some outstanding players on display.
Enzo Fernandez is one absentee from the list that may be brought into question, given the fact that he burst onto the scene in Europe and was then crucial in Argentina’s World Cup victory. There may be fewer arguments for other squad players over the last season though, given their struggles.
Then there’s their rivals Manchester United, who had a better campaign with a top four finish and a League Cup victory to their name. Out of the squad, Marcus Rashford is a huge omission, given the fact he repeatedly hit the heights with his goal scoring, as well as playmaker Bruno Fernandes.
It remains to be seen whether these stars have anything to say about their absence from the list, however they will certainly be aiming to make their way into consideration for 2024.
