2023 Ballon d’Or: Five Biggest Omissions From 30-Man Nominees List

The organizer of the prestigious Ballon d’Or, France Football Magazine released the 30-man nominees for the award on September 6, leaving out some big names.

The Ballon d’Or is seen as the most prestigious award in football and every footballer who has performed very well in a football season is expected to be nominated.

However, not all footballers can make it to the 30-man list, hence, some big names are often left out.

Below are the top five footballers that were not nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or:

1. Marcus Rashford – Manchester United/England

Marcus Rashford was Manchester United’s best player and one of the best players in England but was not considered good enough for the 30-man 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees.

Last season, the 25-year-old England international helped Manchester United to win the Carabao Cup and qualify for the Champions League after scoring 30 goals and providing 11 assists in 56 games in all competitions. He also scored three goals for England in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

2. John Stones – Manchester City/England

John Stones was seen as the heart of treble-winning Manchester City last season but was not deemed good enough to land a Ballon d’Or nomination.

The 29-year-old England international who can play as a defender and a midfielder made 34 appearances in which he provided 3 goals and provided 3 assists.

3. Rafael Leao – AC Milan/Portugal

Rafael Leao played his heart out for AC Milan last season as he helped them to qualify for the Champions League and reach the semi-final stage of the competition.

The 24-year-old Portuguese winger who also did great for Portugal at the 2022 World Cup, scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists in 48 games. He also scored two goals at the World Cup.

4. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen – Barcelona/Germany

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen didn’t have the best of the 2022 FIFA World Cup but was unpenetratable for FC Barcelona last season

The 31-year-old German goalkeeper kept 26 league clean sheets in 38 appearances for Barcelona who won the La Liga and the Supercopa de Espana last season.

5. Jack Grealish – Manchester City/England 

In his debut season at Manchester City, Jack Grealish struggled to live up to the £100 million Manchester City paid for his services. But in the 2022-2023 season, he was totally a different player as he played a prominent role in Manchester City’s treble winning season.

The 27-year-old England international scored 5 goals and provided 11 assists in 50 games to show how important he was in coach Pep Guardiola’s team last season. But that was not enough to get him into the 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees list.