For the second straight year, the 2025 Ballon d’Or will have a new winner after Rodri failed to make the list of 30 nominees dominated by Paris Saint-Germain released on Thursday.
The Manchester City midfielder had already suffered a knee ligament injury, ending his season, by the time he won the 2024 award last October.
Lionel Messi, who won the last of his eight awards in 2023, is not on the list, nor is five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
PSG, which claimed the Champions League in commanding fashion, has nine nominees.
Barcelona, who won a Spanish league and cup double, are represented by four players, including the youngest, Lamine Yamal, who has just turned 18, and the oldest, 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski.
Real Madrid, who boycotted last year’s ceremonies claiming to be outraged that Rodri was preferred to Vinicius, has three nominees, including the Brazilian.
Napoli are rewarded for winning Italy’s Serie A with one selection, Scott McTominay, who becomes the first Scottish nominee since Ally McCoist in 1987.
Should he win, he would become the first player from Diego Maradona’s former club to win the award and only the second Scot, after Denis Law in 1964.
The winner will be unveiled on September 22 at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The complete list of 30 nominees:
1. Ousmane Dembele (FRA/PSG)
2. Gianluigi Donnarumma (ITA/PSG)
3. Jude Bellingham (ENG/Real Madrid)
4. Desire Doue (FRA/PSG)
5. Denzel Dumfries (NED/Inter Milan)
6. Serhou Guirassy (GUI/Dortmund)
7. Erling Haaland (NOR/Manchester City)
8. Viktor Gyokeres (SWE/Arsenal)
9. Achraf Hakimi (MAR/PSG)
10. Harry Kane (ENG/Bayern)
11. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (GEO/PSG)
12. Robert Lewandowski (POL/Barcelona)
13. Alexis Mac Allister (ARG/Liverpool)
14. Lautaro Martinez (ARG/Inter Milan)
15. Scott McTominay (SCO/Naples)
16. Kylian Mbappe (FRA/Real Madrid)
17. Nuno Mendes (POR/PSG)
18. Joao Neves (POR/PSG)
19. Pedri (ESP/Barcelona)
20. Cole Palmer (ENG/Chelsea)
21. Michael Olise (FRA/Bayern)
22. Raphinha (BRA/Barcelona)
23. Declan Rice (ENG/Arsenal)
24. Fabian Ruiz (SCO/PSG)
25. Virgil van Dijk (NED/Liverpool)
26. Vinicius (BRA/Real Madrid)
27. Mohamed Salah (EGY/Liverpool)
28. Florian Wirtz (GER/Liverpool)
29. Vitinha (POR/PSG),
30. Lamine Yamal (ESP/Barcelona).
