Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or 18 times, more than any player in the award’s 70-year history, according to a ranking published this week by Sports Illustrated. Lionel Messi is on 17, after being named on the men’s 30-man shortlist again this autumn. No one else has reached 14.
That gap is the shape of the Ronaldo-Messi era. From 2008 to 2017 the two shared the award in every single edition; between them they have won 13 of the 17 editions handed out since 2008. Messi has eight wins; Ronaldo has five.
The top 11, as ranked by Sports Illustrated
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 18 nominations
- Lionel Messi: 17
- Paolo Maldini: 13
- Johan Cruyff: 12
- Franz Beckenbauer: 12
- Karim Benzema: 12
- Zlatan Ibrahimović: 11
- Gianluigi Buffon: 11
- Zinedine Zidane: 11
- Michel Platini: 11
- Eusébio: 11
Maldini is the odd name on the list. The AC Milan defender was nominated 13 times and finished third twice, but he never won. He holds the record for the most nominations without taking the trophy home.
Buffon, runner-up to Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, is the most-nominated goalkeeper in the award’s history, and his position looks safe. ESPN notes that no goalkeeper was nominated for the 2026 men’s award, meaning Lev Yashin, the 1963 winner, will remain the only keeper ever to win it for at least another year.
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Ronaldo absent, Messi back on the shortlist
Ronaldo is not on the 2026 shortlist despite winning the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr. His 18-nomination total therefore does not grow this year.
Messi’s inclusion is his first since 2023, when he scooped the award for the eighth time after moving to Inter Miami. At 39, the Argentina captain is back in the conversation; his count of 17 is now locked in whether he wins or not.
Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal lead the field this year. Paris Saint-Germain, who provided reigning winner Ousmane Dembélé, supply 10 of the 30 men’s nominees after their Champions League run.
October 26 at the London Palladium
The ceremony takes place on 26 October at the London Palladium, the first time the award has been staged in England. The venue was chosen to mark the 70th anniversary of the first Ballon d’Or, won by Stanley Matthews of Blackpool in 1956.
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