Congratulations to Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay, who has earned himself a spot on the brief checklist for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
It has been fairly a change for the Scotland worldwide, who was deemed surplus to necessities at Manchester United and allowed to maneuver to Napoli for €30 million final summer time. As soon as there, he propelled them to the 2024-25 Serie A title with 12 objectives and 4 assists from 34 video games throughout his debut season, turning into a bona-fide cult hero within the course of.
Whereas McTominay — or “McTerminator,” as he is change into affectionately recognized on the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium — is clearly deserving of his Ballon d’Or nomination, he isn’t the primary identify on followers’ lips whenever you consider the award. So we thought it is likely to be well timed to look again over the previous decade and select a number of different gamers you’ll have forgotten have been ever in competition for European soccer’s most prestigious particular person honor.
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Certainly, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominating the winner’s circle for a few years, there was a smattering of curious inclusions within the ultimate voting stage of an illustrious award that has additionally been claimed by icons equivalent to Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Ronaldo Nazario, Zinedine Zidane and Franz Beckenbauer.
1. David Luiz (2014)
Contemporary off captaining Brazil of their 7-1 humiliation towards Germany on the 2014 World Cup on house soil and exiting the semifinals in floods of tears, David Luiz was a considerably shocking inclusion on the Ballon d’Or brief checklist. The defender moved from Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain that summer time and completed method down the order within the ultimate vote as Ronaldo took the primary prize, however Luiz did handle to earn a spot in that yr’s FIFPro World XI (i.e. the Group of the 12 months) alongside teammate for membership and nation Thiago Silva.
2. Dimitri Payet (2016)
Due to a glowing yr with West Ham United, when Dimitri Payet scored 17 objectives and recorded 23 assists in 56 appearances, Payet performed his approach to a Ballon d’Or nomination. The mercurial France midfielder did decide up some extent within the vote (placing him degree with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric), to complete joint-Seventeenth, however he was nonetheless some 744 factors adrift of eventual winner Ronaldo.
3. Jamie Vardy (2016)
Jamie Vardy performed an necessary position in Leicester Metropolis‘s 5000-1 shot Premier League title win in 2015-16 and his inclusion on the Ballon d’Or brief checklist was completely justified. The previous non-league striker scored 24 objectives in 36 league video games and made the checklist alongside teammate Riyad Mahrez. Vardy even completed above Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Robert Lewandowski within the vote, however was finally crowded out of a podium end by Ronaldo, Messi and Antoine Griezmann.
4. João Félix (2019)
João Félix was unlucky in that his Ballon d’Or nomination straddled what was an thrilling breakthrough season at Benfica and what transpired to be a reasonably underwhelming begin to life at Atlético Madrid following his monumental €126 million switch. The younger Portugal ahead, who has had a little bit of a journeyman profession ever since and is now taking part in at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, completed joint-last within the ultimate standings after failing to draw a single voting level.
5. Dusan Tadic (2019)
It is honest to say that many an eyebrow was raised amongst Southampton followers when Dusan Tadic, their former winger, acquired a Ballon d’Or nod in 2019. Having been a considerably flighty presence for the Saints throughout their tussle to stay within the Premier League, the Serbia worldwide left for Ajax in an €11.4 million deal and would go on to win the Dutch Eredivisie title whereas additionally reaching the Champions League ultimate in his debut season. It was sufficient to earn a spot on the brief checklist, although he finally completed twentieth within the general vote, degree with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
6. César Azpilicueta (2021)
César Azpilicueta was certainly one of 5 Chelsea gamers (alongside Jorginho, N’Golo Kanté, Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount) nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or after triumphing within the earlier season’s Champions League. Sadly, the Blues’ captain and erstwhile “Mr. Reliable” was unable to draw a single voting level as Messi went onto hoover up a file 613 factors and romp to what was the seventh of his eight profession Ballons d’Or (up to now), having received the Copa America with Argentina.
7. Darwin Núñez (2022)
Liverpool had a glut of gamers nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2022, after profitable each home cups and virtually usurping Manchester Metropolis within the Premier League title race. Whereas Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are not any strangers to the brief checklist, it is extra jarring to keep in mind that Núñez was certainly one of six Reds to obtain a nod. The chaotic Uruguay striker had signed from Benfica for an preliminary €75 million a number of weeks earlier than the 2022 Ballon d’Or contenders have been introduced, so technically it was his 34-goal marketing campaign with the Portuguese aspect being acknowledged. However it’s nonetheless odd to assume that he was vying for a similar award as soon as hoisted aloft by Alfredo Di Stefano and Eusebio.
8. André Onana (2023)
André Onana, then Manchester United’s new goalkeeper, managed to play his approach to a Ballon d’Or nomination throughout his maiden season within the Premier League, regardless of succumbing to a string of calamitous errors and dealing with errors. The Cameroon worldwide was primarily acknowledged for his efforts for former membership Internazionale in the course of the 2022-23 season, the place he helped them attain the Champions League ultimate and win the Coppa Italia earlier than transferring to Previous Trafford for €55 million.
Onana got here twenty third ultimately, however did handle to muster two factors within the ultimate vote, which was two greater than fellow stopper Mike Maignan collected after the AC Milan man discovered himself included on the brief checklist in 2022.
9. Mats Hummels (2024)
Having not made a single Ballon d’Or brief checklist since 2017, Mats Hummels got here roaring again into competition in 2024 after captaining Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League ultimate. The 35-year-old Germany heart again had left to affix AS Roma within the interim and ultimately wound up in joint-Twenty ninth within the vote, degree with Artem Dovbyk — who had coincidentally additionally signed for Roma following a goal-laden season with Girona.
10. Ademola Lookman (2024)
Ademola Lookman was the one African nominee included within the 2024 brief checklist after bagging 24 objectives and 16 assists in 52 league video games in his first two seasons with Atalanta. A hat trick within the Europa League ultimate win over Bayer Leverkusen clearly helped enormously, however wasn’t sufficient to propel the ex-Everton winger past a 14th-placed end within the vote, sandwiched between Dani Olmo and Nico Williams and method behind eventual winner Rodri.
