Lionel Messi’s return to the Ballon d’Or shortlist at 39 has moved him within just one nomination of Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time record of 18 appearances among the candidates.
Messi moves one step away from Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or record at 39
Lionel Messi has moved within touching distance of another Cristiano Ronaldo record after returning to the Ballon d’Or shortlist at the age of 39.
The Argentina superstar has been named among the 30 nominees for the 2026 award after missing the previous two editions.
And that comeback has taken Messi to:
17 career Ballon d’Or nominations.
Only one player has ever been nominated more often.
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi is now only one nomination behind Ronaldo
Ronaldo currently holds the all-time record with 18 Ballon d’Or nominations.
Messi is now just one behind on 17.
That means another nomination in 2027 would allow the Argentine to draw level with his great rival.
If Messi were then nominated once more after that, he would move ahead outright.
For a player already holding the record for the most Ballon d’Or victories, it would represent another remarkable individual milestone.
Messi returns to the shortlist at 39
What makes the achievement even more extraordinary is Messi’s age.
He has returned to the Ballon d’Or shortlist at 39 years old after being absent in both 2024 and 2025.
His previous nomination came in 2023.
Three years later, he is back among the final 30.
The comeback strengthens his status as one of the longest-lasting elite performers in football history.
Messi earns his place with huge numbers
The nomination is not simply based on reputation.
Messi produced another extraordinary evaluation period for Inter Miami and Argentina.
He recorded 75 goal contributions in 49 matches across club and international football.
His performances at the 2026 World Cup were also central to his return to the Ballon d’Or conversation.
Messi scored eight goals and provided four assists as Argentina reached another World Cup final.
They were eventually beaten by Spain, but Messi’s individual tournament remained exceptional.
Ronaldo remains on 18 nominations
Cristiano Ronaldo has not been included in the 2026 shortlist.
His record therefore remains frozen at 18 nominations.
The Portuguese superstar last appeared among the Ballon d’Or candidates in 2022.
He has now missed the shortlist in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
That has opened the door for Messi to close what was once a larger gap.
The Ballon d’Or nomination record
The all-time leaders now look like this:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 18 nominations
2. Lionel Messi – 17
3. Paolo Maldini – 13
4. Johan Cruyff – 12
4. Franz Beckenbauer – 12
4. Karim Benzema – 12
The gap between Ronaldo and Messi and everyone else is enormous.
No other player has reached even 14 nominations.
Messi already leads Ronaldo in Ballon d’Or wins
There is an important clarification surrounding the record.
Messi is NOT chasing Ronaldo’s record for Ballon d’Or victories.
Messi already leads that category comfortably.
The pair currently stand at:
Lionel Messi – 8 Ballon d’Or wins
Cristiano Ronaldo – 5
The record now under threat is specifically:
Most Ballon d’Or nominations in history.
Ronaldo’s longevity record remains extraordinary
Even if Messi eventually catches the total of 18, Ronaldo’s record remains a remarkable symbol of longevity.
The Portuguese forward remained among the Ballon d’Or elite across an extraordinary period stretching from his breakthrough years into his late thirties.
Reaching 18 nominations required nearly two decades of performing at the very highest level.
That is why Messi moving within one of the record is so significant.
Messi’s comeback creates another GOAT subplot
The Ballon d’Or shortlist has therefore created another chapter in football’s longest-running individual rivalry.
Ronaldo is not among the nominees.
Messi is back.
And the Argentine is now just one nomination away from matching another record belonging to his historic rival.
It is another statistic that ensures the Messi-Ronaldo debate continues even as both players move deeper into the final stages of their careers.
Saudi Pro League makes history without Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s omission is made even more interesting by the fact that Saudi football has finally broken into the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Sadio Mané and Julián Quiñones have both been nominated.
Mané is Ronaldo’s teammate at Al-Nassr.
That means the Saudi Pro League has representatives in the Ballon d’Or race, but its biggest global star is not one of them.
Could Messi equal Ronaldo in 2027?
The next question is obvious.
Messi only needs one more nomination.
If he remains among the world’s elite performers through the next evaluation period, Ballon d’Or 2027 could see him draw level with Ronaldo on 18.
At 39, nothing can be guaranteed.
But Messi’s 2026 return has shown that age alone is not enough to remove him from the conversation.
Another Ronaldo record is suddenly within reach
Messi already owns more Ballon d’Or trophies than anyone in history.
Now another record associated with the award is within sight.
Ronaldo has 18 nominations.
Messi has 17.
One more would bring them level.
And after returning to the shortlist at 39, Messi has once again shown that even the records that appeared safe are not necessarily out of reach.
