When the French Football magazine released the nominations for 2022/23 season’s Ballon D’or award, 5-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo’s name went missing for the first time in over 2 decades. He did not miss out on appearing on this list since his first nomination in 2003 but seems as if the sun is setting for Ronaldo.

His Argentine counterpart Lionel Messi, Norway’s Erling Haaland and even Al-Ittihad’s number 9 Karim Benzema finds himself among the nominees.

Nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or

Lionel Messi @InterMiamiCF @Argentina #ballondor pic.twitter.com/PV8H3B8uNo

— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 6, 2023

Nevertheless, there is a notable absence this year, with Cristiano Ronaldo, the second-most decorated player in Ballon d’Or history, failing to secure a place on the list of nominees for the first time in two decades.

In fact, the last instance when Ronaldo was not included as a nominee dates back to 2003, during the inaugural season of his initial stint with Manchester United.

To put this incredible 20-year streak of nominations into perspective, consider these facts: When Ronaldo first appeared on the Ballon d’Or shortlist in 2004, Jude Bellingham, currently a rising star in football, was just over a year old, at 1 year and 4 months of age.

Back in 2004, the shortlist was unveiled on November 9, a couple of days prior to a rather uneventful 0-0 draw between Manchester United and Manchester City in the derby. Ronaldo, after a slow start to the season, took another month to score his first Premier League goal, achieving it on December 4, 2004, in a 3-0 victory over Southampton.

Ronaldo’s remarkable feat includes a streak of 19 consecutive Ballon d’Or nominations, which remains an individual record. He consistently featured on the shortlist every year from the age of 19 all the way through to 37.

Most Ballon D'ors In Football History :

🥇 Leo Messi – 7 🐐
🥈 Cristiano Ronaldo – 5
🥉Michel Platini – 3#LM8 | #BallonDor pic.twitter.com/gNQM1x3my3

— 𝐂𝐀 𝐕𝐀?🐐🐐 (@psg_chief) September 6, 2023

Furthermore, it’s worth noting that during the 2004-05 season at Manchester United, Ronaldo played alongside individuals like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick, both of whom later became part of the coaching staff during his second tenure at Old Trafford.

Intriguingly, Ronaldo also shared the pitch with Robbie Savage, who was a member of Birmingham City’s squad in the 2004-05 Premier League season. Such was Ronaldo’s enduring career that he even had the opportunity to train alongside Savage’s son, Charlie, as part of the United first-team squad during his second stint with the club from 2021 to 2022.