At thirty-nine years of age, Lionel Messi has carved his name deeper into football history by setting a fresh milestone in the illustrious legacy of the Ballon d’Or. The Argentine maestro has officially eclipsed a prestigious longevity record previously held by his enduring rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. By spanning a remarkable twenty-year gap between his initial and most recent nominations, Messi has become the first player in history to sustain elite recognition for such an extraordinary duration.
The release of the shortlist for the annual accolade marked the continuation of a journey that began back in two thousand and six. When the diminutive teenager from Barcelona first appeared on the ballot two decades ago, few could have predicted that his brilliance would endure into the latter stages of his career. Reports from the Spanish press confirm that this inclusion brings Messi’s career total of nominations to seventeen. While Ronaldo still holds the record for the highest overall number of nominations at eighteen, Messi has now seized the crown for the longest active career span on the shortlist.
Previously, this distinction belonged to Ronaldo, whose nominations spanned an eighteen-year window from two thousand and four to two thousand and twenty-two. Messi has now stretched that benchmark to twenty years, redefining the standard for sustained excellence at the highest level of the sport.
A detailed look at the players with the longest intervals between their first and final Ballon d’Or nominations highlights this unprecedented achievement:
| Rank | Player Name | Career Span Between First and Last Nomination |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Twenty Years |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Eighteen Years |
| 3 | Luka Modric | Sixteen Years |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | Fifteen Years |
| 5 | Paolo Maldini | Fourteen Years |
| 6 | Sir Stanley Matthews | Thirteen Years |
| 7 | Gianluigi Buffon | Twelve Years |
| 8 | Thierry Henry | Eleven Years |
| 9 | Paulo Dybala | Ten Years |
| 10 | Neymar Junior | Ten Years |
Beyond the duration of his career, this latest inclusion also makes Messi the oldest player of the twenty-first century to secure a nomination, breaking the previous record set by Ronaldo when he was thirty-seven. The absolute historical record for the oldest nominee and winner remains with Sir Stanley Matthews, who was forty-one years old when he claimed the inaugural prize in nineteen fifty-six.
Operating outside the traditional boundaries of top-tier European football, the veteran forward stands out as the sole active Major League Soccer representative on the thirty-man shortlist. This recognition follows a stellar period that includes domestic success with Inter Miami and a remarkable international campaign where he guided Argentina to another major final, netting numerous crucial goals along the way. Although younger talents like Rodri, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, and Lamine Yamal lead the conversation for the actual trophy this year, Messi’s enduring presence on the global stage remains a testament to a legendary career that refuses to fade.
