This Tuesday, the magazine France Football announced the candidates for the Ballon d'Or and the Argentine National Team once again had a prominent presence: among the 30 nominees for the highest individual award in football are Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martínez.
Firstly, the inclusion of the captain of the Albiceleste marks his return to the list after two years of absence. Messi, who recently announced his retirement from the Argentine National Team, arrives at the nomination especially backed by his performance in the 2026 World Cup, where he was one of the standout figures of the team that finished as runners-up after losing 1-0 to Spain in the final.
During the World Cup, the Rosario native scored eight goals and continued to extend his historical records. One of his most notable moments occurred in the semifinals, when he directly contributed to the 2-1 victory against England with two assists.
With this new nomination, Messi will seek to add another Ballon d'Or to a collection that is already a record. It will be the seventeenth time he appears among the candidates and he will have the chance to win the award for the ninth time, after having won it in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023.
For his part, Lautaro Martínez was also included among the 30 selected footballers. The forward and captain of Inter had one of his major achievements with the conquest of Serie A and also left his mark during the World Cup with three goals for the National Team, the most emblematic being the one scored against England in the semifinals.
But the Argentine presence does not end only with the Ballon d'Or. Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez was nominated for the Yashin Award, which honors the best goalkeeper of the season. The Mar del Plata native thus finds himself among the candidates for one of the main individual recognitions, which he already won consecutively in 2023 and 2024.
The presence of the three Argentines extends the country's tradition in the awards and places them among the main protagonists of the season. Now, to find out who will occupy the top spots in each category, they will have to wait until the ceremony, which will take place on October 26 at the The London Palladium in London.
