Lionel Messi has set another Ballon d’Or record after being included on the 2026 shortlist at the age of 39.
The nomination makes Messi the first player whose appearances on the Ballon d’Or shortlist span 20 years. He was first nominated in 2006 as a teenage Barcelona player and is back on the shortlist in 2026.
The previous record belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo, whose nominations stretched from 2005 to 2022, covering 18 years.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, the latest inclusion is Messi’s 17th Ballon d’Or nomination. That puts him one behind Ronaldo, who still holds the record for the highest number of nominations with 18.
At 39, Messi has also become the oldest player to be nominated in the 21st century. Ronaldo was 37 when he received his latest nomination in 2022. The overall record belongs to Stanley Matthews, who was 41 when he won the inaugural Ballon d’Or in 1956.
Eight Ballon d’Or wins still make him the most successful player in the history of the award.
His victories came in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Ronaldo is second with five wins.
Messi is also the only active Major League Soccer player on the 2026 men’s shortlist.
His nomination follows a successful year with Argentina, where he scored eight goals and provided four assists during the 2026 World Cup as the team reached the final. At club level, he completed a domestic double with Inter Miami.
