The Paris Saint-Germain winger and two of his treble-winning team-mates have been inexplicably left off the shortlist for the men's prize

The Ballon d'Or never fails to create controversy. Rather amusingly, Real Madrid even refused to turn up for last year's ceremony after being upset by the just decision to give the prize to Rodri over Vinicius Jr. 

The award is, by its very nature, contradictory, in that it champions individualism in a team sport, while the inherently subjective nature of the voting is always bound to provoke a backlash. Ballon d'Or recognition has become a very important marketing tool in the modern game, though, so whenever a player is the victim of a perceived snub, it generates a lot of headlines.

So, which stars will be reeling after being left off the list of nominees for this year's Ballon d'Or – and its plethora of other prizes? GOAL runs through the most notable oversights below…

Getty Images SportBradley Barcola (Ballon d'Or)

Spare a thought for Bradley Barcola right now. The France international was one of the key players in Paris Saint-Germain's treble triumph – yet everyone seems to have forgotten that fact.

There's no denying that the winger had a slight dip in form towards the tail end of the season – but he hardly went AWOL for months on end like Cole Palmer. Nor did he miss a significant chunk of the campaign through injury, like Erling Haaland.

Barcola actually continued to contribute to PSG's success, scoring twice in the Coupe de France final win over Reims to take his overall tally to 21 goals in all competitions. It's also well worth remembering that the winger finished with more assists (18) than any other PSG player.

However, after missing out on inclusion in Luis Enrique's starting line-up for the Champions League final, Barcola has also missed out on a Ballon d'Or nomination – despite being directly involved in as many goals as Lamine Yamal last season (39 apiece).

AdvertisementGetty Images SportPSG's centre-backs (Ballon d'Or)

Nine players from PSG's starting line-up for the Champions League final annihilation of Inter have been nominated for the men's Ballon d'Or – and that's perfectly fair. The only question, in fact, is why were Willian Pacho and Marquinhos overlooked?

Pacho was absolutely sensational during his first season at Parc des Princes – at the back, in the air and on the ball. It's bizarre, then, to see players like Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham nominated ahead of the Ecuadorian colossus – despite winning nothing of note and having poor seasons by their high standards.

Marquinhos' omission is even more ludicrous. Few PSG players were more deserving of a Champions League medal than the Brazilian centre-back, who arrived at Parc des Princes in 2013 and thus endured the Parisians' most spectacular capitulations. The lessons he learned during those devastating defeats played a pivotal part in Marquinhos finally leading PSG to the promised land – along with his disciplined defending and excellent distribution (no defender completed more passes in last season's Champions League).

It's, therefore, astounding that the classy captain of a history-making, treble-winning team has not got the recognition his contribution not only deserved – but demanded.

(C)Getty ImagesAlexander Isak (Ballon d'Or)

Alexander Isak has clearly been punished for not playing any Champions League football last season – because there's no other possible reason for his exclusion from the Ballon d'Or shortlist.

The Sweden striker scored more Premier League goals than Haaland, who has been nominated, while he also fired Newcastle to a first domestic trophy for 70 years with crucial goals in the Carabao Cup against Chelsea, Arsenal and, most importantly of all, Liverpool – who are now desperately trying to sign Isak for a British-record fee.

The 25-year-old's exact worth is a current topic of much debate, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone willing to dispute the 25-year-old's status as one of the best centre-forwards in the world right now, making his Ballon d'Or snub genuinely mystifying.

Getty ImagesOmar Marmoush (Ballon d'Or)

Eight male players were directly involved in 40 or more goals in all competitions across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues last season. Only one of them didn't earn a Ballon d'Or nod: Omar Marmoush.

The multi-talented Egyptian attacker tore up the Bundesliga during the first half of the 2024-25 season, netting 15 times in just 17 outings for Eintracht Frankfurt, while also weighing in with seven assists. His sensational form earned him a big-money move to the Etihad Stadium, where he netted a hat-trick in just his third Premier League appearance.

Marmoush was the only signing Manchester City made during January to make an instant impact on Pep Guardiola's squad and, in truth, one of the few positives of an otherwise negative campaign. So, why on earth has Haaland been nominated for the Ballon d'Or after a stop-start season, while Marmoush has been left off the list despite producing the season of his career?!