France Football announced that the 2026 Ballon d'Or nominations feature a remarkable number of veteran players, with ten active players among the men's and women's Ballon d'Or awards and Best Goalkeeper category standing out for their exceptionally long careers. The nominations were announced on September 8, 2026.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha leads all nominees at 40 years and 97 days old. His outstanding performance at the World Cup earned him a nomination for the Men's Yashin Trophy, making him the first Cape Verde player to be nominated for a Ballon d'Or award.

Closely following him is Messi, at 39 years and 76 days old. The Argentine legend leads Inter Miami in the MLS and captained Argentina to the World Cup final, securing his 17th career nomination. Messi thus becomes the oldest non-goalkeeper nominee for the Ballon d'Or in the 21st century and sets a new record with a 20-year span from his first nomination in 2006 to his latest in 2026.

Among the women's Ballon d'Or nominees, French defender Wendie Renard represents the elite generation of women's football at 36 years and 50 days old. Also included in the list of highly experienced players are Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger (35 years and 334 days), who received a nomination for the Women's Best Goalkeeper award following an outstanding NWSL championship season, and Bayern Munich forward Pernille Harder (33 years and 297 days).

The Men's Best Goalkeeper shortlist includes several experienced international goalkeepers. Morocco's Bounou (35 years and 156 days), Senegal's Édouard Mendy (34 years and 191 days), Real Madrid's Courtois (34 years and 120 days), and Chelsea's E. Martínez (34 years and 6 days) all represent the gold standard of modern goalkeeping.

Also among the top ten is Al-Nassr forward Mane (34 years and 151 days), whose outstanding performances in the Saudi Pro League and Africa Cup of Nations earned him his fifth Ballon d'Or nomination in his career.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com