The FOUR players who should have been on the Ballon d'Or list

The 30-player list of nominees for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award was announced on Wednesday, but there were FOUR notable absentees.

Lionel Messi, who's chasing a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or, and Manchester City forward Erling Haaland led the candidates for the prestigious individual award.

England stars Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham as well as Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne were also shortlisted.

The winner of the 2023 Ballon d'Or will be announced on October 30 in Paris.

Image: Ballon d'Or

But France Football magazine's 30-player list failed to include some top, top performers from last season.

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford was not included in the Ballon d'Or list despite scoring 30 goals and registering 11 assists in the 2022/23 campaign.

He also starred for England at the 2022 World Cup, scoring three goals in the tournament.

The 25-year-old is not the only Premier League-based talent who was denied a spot on the list.

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was excluded from the nominations, too, even though he won the Best Young Player Award at last year's World Cup.

There's also no spot for AC Milan winger Rafael Leao and Real Madrid man Fede Valverde, who both had stellar campaigns last season.

The Portuguese international enjoyed the best term of his career last season as he scored 16 goals in all competitions for Milan.

The Uruguayan also delivered the best scoring return of his career last season, scoring 12 goals as he starred in midfield for the Spanish giants.

With all that being said, though, Rashford, Fernandez, Leao and Valverde WON'T be in the running to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or award.

Should they be on the list? Let us know what you think.