Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski headline France Football’s 30-man shortlist for the prestigious Ballon d’Or, with Barcelona’s 18-year-old midfielder Pedri becoming the second-youngest player to be nominated in the history of the award on Friday.

Messi is the reigning Ballon d’Or winner from 2019. France Football scrapped the award in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Champions League winners Chelsea and finalists Manchester City lead all clubs with five nominations each. Chelsea’s star signing, Romelu Lukaku, finished second to Ronaldo in Serie A scoring last season with Inter Milan.

Five players from Italy’s Euro-winning side also made the list, though Federico Chiesa – who scored twice in the knockout stage – missed out.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma is the only shot-stopper to appear after clinching Euro 2020 for his country with two vital saves in the shootout against England at Wembley Stadium. Prior to joining PSG on a free transfer, the 22-year-old helped AC Milan reach the Champions League for the first time in seven years, posting 14 clean sheets in Serie A.

Milan’s Simon Kjaer is one of the most surprising entries on the list. The 32-year-old defender captained his native Denmark to the semifinals of Euro 2020 and earned praise for the life-saving measures he took when teammate Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field earlier in the tournament. Gerard Moreno, who scored 30 goals in all competitions and won the 2020-21 Europa League title with Villarreal, is another newcomer to the nominees’ list.

Pedri is nominated for both the Ballon d’Or and Kopa Trophy, the latter of which is handed to the best performing player under the age of 21. The Spaniard made 28 starts in his first top-flight season with Barcelona and featured at Euro 2020 and the UEFA European Under-21 Championship immediately after.

At 18 years and 317 days old, Pedri nearly overtook Kylian Mbappe as the youngest player to receive a nomination. Mbappe was 18 years and 293 days old when he first made the list in 2017.

Lewandowski is looking to capture his first-ever Ballon d’Or after missing out on what many believed would be a sure win last year. Bayern’s 33-year-old sharpshooter broke Gerd Muller’s long-standing single-season Bundesliga scoring record with 41 goals in the 2020-21 campaign.

France Football also named 20 nominees for the women’s Ballon d’Or on Friday. Megan Rapinoe, who won the last award in 2019, wasn’t included on this year’s list.

Spain leads all countries with four nominations, while Canada has three, including record goalscorer Christine Sinclair.

Women’s Ballon d’Or nominees

Finally, three players from England’s national team feature on France Football’s 10-man shortlist for the Kopa Trophy.

Kopa Trophy nominees

The Ballon d’Or will be awarded on Nov. 29 in Paris.

The finalists for the 2021 Ballon d’Or award were unveiled Friday, with many of football’s biggest stars occupying a spot on the prestigious list.

As is the case every year after France Football releases its 30-man shortlist, there are a handful of controversial omissions.

Here are five of the biggest snubs for the 2021 Ballon d’Or award:

Heung-min Son (Tottenham/South Korea)

On the heels of another sensational season at Tottenham Hotspur, Heung-min Son somehow failed to make the cut for the revered honor.

Son was brilliant for Spurs last term, forming a dynamic partnership with Harry Kane on his way to finishing the 2020-21 Premier League campaign with 17 goals and 10 assists. But even though his statistics eclipsed the figures that earned him a place in the top 30 two years ago, the South Korean’s best season in north London went unrewarded by the French outlet.

Federico Chiesa (Juventus/Italy)

There’s not much more Federico Chiesa could’ve done to earn his place among football’s elite.

The 23-year-old winger developed into an integral component for both club and country last season. But even after playing an influential role in spearheading Italy’s journey toward capturing the Euro 2020 title and emerging as a star for Juventus, his heroic efforts weren’t enough for some, apparently.

Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich/Germany)

Joshua Kimmich is perhaps the most puzzling omission of the lot. The versatile German is one of Bayern Munich and Germany’s most consistent players, yet he’s been overlooked by France Football for the second time running.

There’s no doubting the 26-year-old will eventually get recognized in the near future. But there’s also no doubt that, right now, Kimmich is arguably one of the most important and talented players for a Bayern Munich side that habitually competes for – and wins – titles.

Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid/Slovenia)

There wasn’t any room for Jan Oblak in this year’s list of Ballon d’Or contenders, with Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma singled out as the lone representative of the goalkeeping brotherhood.

While there are cases to be made for other goalkeeper snubs – such as Manchester City’s Ederson, Liverpool’s Alisson, Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer, and Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy – Oblak’s exclusion may be the most egregious considering his commanding performances in helping Atletico Madrid end their seven-year wait for a La Liga title.

Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain/Brazil)

A trophy-less season at Paris Saint-Germain could be one of the explanations for overlooking Marquinhos. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good reason to omit one of the world’s top defenders.

While it was a disappointing season overall for PSG, Marquinhos was a force throughout the campaign before going on to play a vital role during Brazil’s journey to the Copa America final last summer.

Honorable mentions: Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid/Spain), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich/Germany), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea/Senegal), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich/Germany), Kyle Walker (Manchester City/England)

It was only a matter of time.

Lionel Messi notched his first goal since moving to Paris Saint-Germain, finishing off a slick interchange with Kylian Mbappe by picking out the top corner during Tuesday’s Champions League clash against former boss Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.

The picturesque strike sealed a 2-0 win for PSG in their Group A tilt.

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What a moment for Sebastien Thill.

The midfielder scored a thunderous goal that he’ll never forget on Tuesday, arrowing a half-volley into the top corner in the 90th minute to give Sheriff Tiraspol an unlikely – and historic – 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Moldovan champions, from the separatist state of Transnistria, were founded in 1997. Now, they have a victory over the 13-time European kingpins on their resume.

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