The statistics say the opposite - Ballon d Or organizers explain why Cristiano Ronaldo was included ahead of Lionel Messi in the 30-man shortlist × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout Football EPL 2022-23 News The statistics say the opposite - Ballon d Or organizers explain why Cristiano Ronaldo was included ahead of Lionel Messi in the 30-man shortlist By Vatsal Vora Modified 15 Aug 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Ronaldo has pipped Messi to the nomination. The Ballon d'Or organizers have given their explanation on including Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Lionel Messi on their 30-man shortlist for the prestigious award. Messi, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner himself, was excluded from the shortlist for the first time since 2005. Lionel Messi had an underwhelming first season as a Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player. The Argentine skipper only managed to score 11 goals across all competitions last time around and wasn't deemed good enough to get a spot on the shortlist. Emmanuel Bojan of French Football gave his justification for why Cristiano Ronaldo managed to make it onto the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. Despite Manchester United only securing a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, Ronaldo's goals were vital for the Red Devils in the league and Champions League. Ronaldo also had a great time on the international stage for Portugal. Last year, the Portuguese forward became the all-time top goalscorer in men's international football. France Football’s deputy editor-in-chief was quoted as saying the following (via Eurosport): “The statistics say the opposite. Ronaldo became the top scorer in national football this season [117 goals]. He was extremely decisive in the Champions League group stage with four off-the-cuff goals that gave Man Utd seven points." Borjan stated that Cristiano Ronaldo's 2021-22 season was not his best but still good enough to be worthy of a Ballon d'Or nomination. The same can’t be said about Lionel Messi. He added: “In the Premier League, he had 18 goals including two hat-tricks. In total, 32 goals in 49 matches is not as many as in his best seasons but enough to be among the 30 best players in the world.” Ballon d'Or #ballondor@francefootballNominated for the 2022 Ballon d’Or … @Cristiano@ManUtd#ballondor14686218083Nominated for the 2022 Ballon d’Or … @Cristiano@ManUtd#ballondor https://t.co/EJkb7aK6yU Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo s Ballon d Or duopoly could soon come to an end Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them. Since 2008, each and every award has gone to either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo apart from the 2018 edition, which was awarded to Luka Modric. However, this duopoly will soon come to an abrupt end in the coming years. Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the twilight of their respective careers. With their current form, it is highly unlikely that the duo will be able to compete for another "Golden Ball" in the near future. There are a few excellent candidates for the award this time around. Despite being 34 years old, Karim Benzema is the favorite for this year's award. The Frenchman guided Real Madrid to a league and Champions League double last season. The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior are also sure to contest for the award in the future.ESPN FC@ESPNFCAncelotti says there is no doubt Benzema should win the Ballon d'Or 364881854Ancelotti says there is no doubt Benzema should win the Ballon d'Or https://t.co/pe3N2t02Z0 The 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled to take place on 17 October 2022 in Paris, France. Paul Merson predicts Arsenal vs Liverpool and other EPL GW 10 fixtures! Click here Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Ashwin × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout No Results Found Get the free App now Manage notifications Popular ‍ Sports (30+) CricketCricket HomeCricket NewsScheduleIND vs SAAUS vs WIENG vs PAKLegends LeagueECC T10County ChampionshipBukhatir LeagueNZ T20 Tri-SeriesWomen's Asia Cup 2022Japan Cricket LeagueWI-W vs NZ-WECT10T20 World Cup FootballFootball HomeNewslettersSK Experts ScheduleEPLNations LeagueLa LigaLigue 1Champions LeagueFIFA WCMLS Bundesliga Serie A WWEWWE HomeNewslettersRumor RoundupRAWSmackDownResultsRosterChampionsWWE Extreme Rules 2022PPV ScheduleAEW EsportsEsports HomeMinecraftOverwatch 2RobloxGenshin ImpactFortniteGTAStreamersFree FirePUBGValorantBGMIPop CultureAnimeGaming TechWiki Guides TennisTennis HomeTennis calendarChina OpenTennis Results TodayATP RankingsWTA RankingsRoger FedererRafael NadalNovak DjokovicSerena Williams MMAMMA HomeUFC NewsONE ChampionshipUFC Fight NightScheduleRankingsResultsUFC Fights TonightONE Championship ResultsONE Championship ScheduleONE Championship Rankings KabaddiKabaddi HomePKL 2022PKL SchedulePKL Points TableKabaddi Rules WikiWiki HomeMinecraft WikiNaruto WikiTikTok WikiYoutube WikiGTA WikiTerraria WikiOne Piece Wiki MoreSportsBasketballIndian FootballNFLMinecraftFormula 1NascarPop CultureCollege FootballHockeyGolfAthleticsBadmintonGymnasticsWrestlingSwimmingTennisShootingBoxingArcheryWinter SportsRobloxSkateboardingKho KhoLifestyle LINKS About Us Write For Us Policies Editorial Standards Journalism Awards Fact Check Affiliate Program Careers CSR Privacy Policy Contact Us Edition: English हिन्दी