Recent Ballon d’Or Snubs: Players Who fell Short
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The Ballon d’Or, soccer’s most prestigious individual award, often sparks debate with its selections. Several deserving players have narrowly missed out on recognition in recent years. this article examines ten notable players who, despite strong performances, found themselves lower in the voting rankings than many expected.
1. Antonio Rüdiger (2023)
German centre-back Antonio Rüdiger experienced a surprising outcome in the 2023 Ballon d’Or voting. After transferring from Chelsea to AS Roma in July 2022, he ultimately finished tied for 29th place, alongside Artem Dovbyk. Dovbyk, coincidentally, also joined Roma following a prolific season with girona, where he scored 24 goals in 36 La Liga matches during the 2022-2023 season.
2. Ademola Lookman (2024)
Ademola Lookman was the sole African player nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, recognized for his extraordinary form with Atalanta. Over two seasons, the Nigerian international tallied 24 goals and 16 assists in 52 league appearances. A standout moment was his hat-trick in Atalanta’s 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League final held in Dublin, Ireland, on May 22, 2024. Despite this achievement,Lookman secured only a 14th-place finish in the voting,positioned between Dani Olmo and Nico Williams,and substantially behind the eventual winner,Rodri. Prior to joining Atalanta in August 2021 for a reported €9 million transfer fee, Lookman had played for Everton, making 32 Premier League appearances and scoring 4 goals.
