2022 Ballon d'Or nominees unveiled; Messi absent for 1st time

Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi was not among the nominees for the Ballon d'Or for the first time as the list that was revealed Friday included Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.

France Football magazine announced on their website the 30 players vying for the prestigious award in 2022.

Also known as Golden Ball Award, the Ballon d'Or is given to the sport's best player.

Messi, 35, a Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward, has won the award a record seven times, including in 2021.

But the former Barcelona player was not been nominated for the award for the first time since 2005.

Like Messi, another PSG star, Neymar, from Brazil was also left off the ballot.

But Manchester United forward Ronaldo, Barcelona's Lewandowski, Real Madrid's Benzema and Liverpool winger Salah were among the other nominees.

Portuguese veteran Ronaldo, 37, is a five-time winner in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.

The Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held Oct. 17 at Paris' Theatre du Chatelet.