Lack of diversity in Ballon d’Or nominations

The Ballon d’Or shortlist has been unveiled, revealing the top 30 players of the world, including familiar names such as Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, and Erling Haaland. One familiar name however, Cristiano Ronaldo, has not been nominated this year. This is the first time he has not been nominated since 2003, a shock to many fans. The table above shows that of all the 30 Ballon d’Or nominees, they derive from only 7 leagues, with 40% coming from the Premier League.

This reveals the way by which elite football is highly concentrated in a few leagues. The top players play at the top clubs, in the top leagues, an understandable phenomenon. Out of these 7 leagues, 5 of them are in Europe, highlighting the Eurocentricity of the Ballon d’Or and elite football more generally.  

It is positive that there are two players nominated from leagues outside of Europe. Karim Benzema from the Saudi Pro League and Lionel Messi from the MLS, with Messi being the pundits’ favourite to win. However, even though both these players no longer play in Europe, their nominations are highly based upon their seasons at European teams, Messi at PSG and Benzema at Real Madrid and so ultimately, players from European teams dominate the awards. If Messi was to win the Ballon d’Or, history would be made. Not only in furthering his current record of winning the Ballon d’Or seven times, but he would also be the first active MLS player to win the award. This would prove to be a major feat not just for Messi, but for the development of football in the USA more generally. Alongside this, Benzema is the first active player in the SPL to have been nominated for the award. It is unlikely that this will be the last time in which an active SPL player will be nominated for the Ballon d’Or. This is on the basis that this summer, Saudi teams have spent a combined total of $907 million, attracting top players such as Neymar and Roberto Firmino. The future of football in Saudi Arabia proves to be promising and full of top-quality players, ensuring that Benzema will not be the last to be nominated from the SPL.

Whilst the nomination of these two players from outside of Europe is evidence of the development of top football outside of Europe, it must be considered that the attraction of these players has been through major injections of cash and extravagant contracts, which many teams in other leagues cannot compete with. For example, there are still no players nominated from leagues in South America and Africa. For a global sport, the Ballon d’Or nominations reveal that top-tier football does not truly span the globe.

There is no obvious solution to the lack of diversity in the leagues from which the nominees come, as ultimately, the Ballon d’Or is directed at the world’s best players and they tend to play at the world’s best teams, in the world’s most competitive leagues. However, one solution could be greater investment in teams and in grassroots football across the globe. The nominations of both Messi and Benzema are exciting however, and hopefully, with time, more players from leagues outside of Europe will be included in this list of nominees.