France Football have given their reasons for not including defending champion Lionel Messi on this year's Ballon d'Or shortlist, which was revealed on Friday. Messi scored just 11 goals in what was an extremely underwhelming debut campaign in Paris, his worst return since he last missed out on the Ballon d'Or shortlist in 2005. Lionel Messi was shockingly left off the 30-man shortlist for this year's Ballon d'OrMany fans were curious about Messi's omission and France Football, who've organised the award since 1956, were keen to clarify the decision via a Q&A on L'Equipe's website. 'Inevitably, Lionel Messi, with his 15 appearances in a row since 2006, his seven Ballon d'Or victories, his title holder status, weighs very heavily when it comes to the final choice,' Bojan explained when asked about the seven-time winner's snub. He was extremely decisive in the Champions League group stage with four off-the-cuff goals that gave Man Utd seven points.

Source: Daily Mail August 13, 2022 07:12 UTC