Lionel Messi is the frontrunner for this year's Ballon d'Or and an incredible 50-minute video shows why he should win the prize for the eighth time.
The 30-man shortlist was released by France Football on Wednesday night, with Erling Haaland one of the leading contenders for the most precious individual prize after scoring an incredible 52 goals in Manchester City's treble-winning campaign last season.
Excluding last season's captain Ilkay Gundogan, Haaland is one of SEVEN City players among this year's nominees.
Advert
But for the first time since 2003, there is no place for Cristiano Ronaldo - while the likes of Marcus Rashford, Enzo Fernandez, Rafael Leao and Federico Valverde have been overlooked.
With performances between August 1 2022 and July 3 2023 taken into account, Messi would appear to be the favourite after finally guiding Argentina to the World Cup.
The 36-year-old came up clutch in Qatar, scoring seven times - including a brace in the final against France - to finally complete football.
Messi also scored 21 times in his final season for Paris Saint-Germain as they won Ligue One. But a stunning compilation lasting just less than an hour has been posted to show the Barcelona legend's unrivalled playmaking and passing ability for PSG and Argentina.
Advert
The video, which has racked up nearly 3 million views, does not feature a single one of Messi's goals and yet it makes for excellent viewing.
There aren't any clips from Messi's time at current club Inter Miami, where he's scored 11 times in as many games and led them to their first ever trophy when they won the Leagues Cup on penalties.
And if Messi does win the gong for the eighth time at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, he will become the first player to receive the prize while not playing in Europe.
Advert
But in a recent interview, the 36-year-old has said he isn't all that bothered about winning the Ballon d'Or again.
"I have said it many times, the Ballon d'Or is very important due to the recognition at an individual level, but I never gave it importance," Messi admitted.
"The most important thing for me was always the awards at the group level.
"I was lucky to have achieved everything in my career and after the World Cup, I'm thinking about that award much less, my biggest award was that and I'm disguising my moment.
Advert
โIf it arrives, good, and if not, nothing happens. I was lucky to achieve all my goals in my career and now I have new goals with this club."
Messi is in action for Argentina against Ecuador and Bolivia in the next week and will miss Inter's game against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday as a result.
Featured Image Credit: Getty & TwitterTopics:ย Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Ballon d'Or
