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Messi and Halaand lead Ballon d'Or nominee lists, Ronaldo misses cut

Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring for Inter Miami.[Facebook,Messi]

Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is back in contention for the prestigious award a year after being omitted from the nomination list, which this time doesn't include longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi, the Inter Miami star who led Argentina to the World Cup title in December, was named on Wednesday to the 30-man list of nominees along with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

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