For this year s Ballon d Or, Messi was left off the 30-man shortlist but he s made up for it by being included in the voting for both The Best FIFA Men s Player award and The Best FIFA Men s 11. Messi is joined among the candidates for the team honour by his eternal rival Ronaldo, who scored 50 goals last season for Al-Nassr.

According to sports website Goal, the nominees are divided into positional groups. Along with Messi and Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Viktor Gyokeres, and Spain duo Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams - who inspired La Roja to Euro 2024 glory - are included in the list for the attacking options. Salah and Lewandowski are both left out, however.

In midfield, Real Madrid duo Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga will receive plenty of votes are helping Los Blancos to La Liga and Champions League glory. Arsenal duo Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are standout defensive options, while Emiliano Martinez faces competition from Andriy Lunin, Unai Simon, Giorgi Mamardashvili, and others for the nod in goal.