Real Madrid duo Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham are two of the strongest contenders to win the prestigious this year along with Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri. While the list of 30 nominees includes some of the top names in the world like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, two of the most coveted names in the history of football - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi - were both left out, marking the first time since 2003 that neither player has been on the shortlist.

As Messi - eight awards - and Ronaldo - five awards - missed out for the first time in 21 years, fans reacted emotionally on social media with many of them calling it an 'end of an era'.

@legaldavidson wrote on X: "Messi and Ronaldo’s era is officially over."

An X user by the name @Empty__47 wrote: "The end of an era! Messi and Ronaldo's absence from the Ballon d'Or list marks a new chapter in football. Time for the next gen to shine!"

A user named @AaronBabb99 noted the unusual feeling of not seeing either of the two icons nominated. "Strange feeling knowing Ronaldo and Messi aren’t nominated for Ballon d’Or," they wrote.

@MagicMopCleanin: "No Messi, No Ronaldo. End of an era. They both dominated the world of football. An amazing era it was."

This user named @Blizzflix lamented that the iconic rivalry is finally over as he wrote: "The rivalry is over. We changed football. The Ronaldo x Messi era will live on forever."

The 2023-24 campaign was the first time in over two decades that neither Ronaldo nor Messi played in Europe. While the Portuguese legend moved to the Saudi Pro League in January 2023, the Argentine headed to the MLS to join Inter Miami last June. The icons, however, enjoyed success at their respective clubs as Ronaldo scored 50 goals in Saudi Arabia while Messi helped the Herons lift their first-ever trophy, the inaugural Leagues Cup.

The 39-year-old Al-Nassr star will be next seen in action for the national team as Portugal take on Croatia in their Nations League opener on Thursday night. Messi, on the other hand, has been left out of La Albiceleste squad for the World Cup qualifying games as the veteran star is yet to recover from his ankle injury that he suffered in the Copa America 2024 final.