England stars Marcus Rashford and John Stones among players snubbed in Ballon d'Or nominations

The nominations for the 2023 Ballon d'Or have been released with expected inclusions for the likes of 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi, treble-winner Erling Haaland and more of the game's top stars. Previous winners Karim Benzema and Luka Modric are among those to have made the 30-man nomination list.

However, whenever the Ballon d'Or nominations are released each year, there are sure to be some snubs, and this year is no different with the most notable omission arguably being Manchester United and England's Marcus Rashford. The forward put up incredible performances over the 2022/2023 campaign, netting 30 goals, including one in his side's Carabao Cup Final victory over Newcastle United.

He also netted crucial goals in games against Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Barcelona. Rashford also made an impact at last year's World Cup as he netted three goals in five appearances in Qatar, despite starting just one game.

It was a strong resurgent campaign for Rashford under Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag after he struggled during the 2021/2022 season, where he scored just five goals and suffered from injury issues.

Another England international to not be on this year's Ballon d'Or nominations list is Manchester City centre-back John Stones. The defender, despite missing parts of last season with injury, was crucial in his side's successful treble quest.

Stones' performances in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid and in the final against Inter Milan earned him many plaudits, recognising him as one of the best defenders in the world.

Another reason why Stones' 2022/2023 campaign was highly praised was due to the player deploying a new role in Manchester City's line-up, as he would often be tasked with drifting into midfield positions, showcasing the evolution of what defenders are now capable of.

Liverpool and Brazil goalkeeper, Allision, was another notable omission from the nominations, as despite his club not having a great season, his performances were of a high quality and arguably prevented matters from worsening for Jurgen Klopp's side. He managed to keep the second-most clean sheets in the Premier League last season with 14, three less than Golden Glove winner, David de Gea.

The three goalkeepers that did make the list, Emiliano Martinez, Yassine Bounou and Andre Onana, all featured in teams that had a successful season, so that was likely what factored in Allison not being nominated.

Two notable absentees from this year's nominations include some of the sport's biggest superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. However, there is no real outrage at their omissions as neither had particularly great campaigns to demonstrate why they should be nominated, with the pair now playing their football in Saudi Arabia for Al Nassr and Al Hilal respectively.

In Ronaldo's case, it feels strange to the footballing world that he is no longer up for these prestigious individual awards, as he was dominating the sport for longer than a decade alongside Lionel Messi. This marks the first time since 2003 that the Portuguese icon has not made the nominations list, which truly marks the end of an era at the top for him.

Alongside the male Ballon d'Or nominations, the list of the world's best female players was also released. The notable absentee was the 2021 and 2022 winner, Alexia Putellas, who despite winning the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup with Spain, spent most of last season injured with an ACL problem.

However, members of Spain's World Cup-winning squad, including Aitana Bonmati, Olga Carmona, Salma Paralluelo and Alba Redondo, made the list. Real Madrid's Carmona scored the only goal in the World Cup final against England and was also named player of the match for the game.

Two other Spanish players, Patricia Guijarro and Mapi Leon, also received nominations. However, neither of the Barcelona pair went to the World Cup due to a conflict with the recently sacked manager, Jorge Vilda.

Four of England's Lioness World Cup finalists made the nominations list as Millie Bright, Rachel Daly, Mary Earps and Georgia Stanway were included. Earps, who won the Golden Glove at the World Cup and saved a penalty in the final, is the only goalkeeper to get a nomination.

Both winners of the Ballon d'Or and Ballon d'Or Feminin will be announced when the ceremony takes place in Paris on October 30th.