France Football editor-in-chief, Vincent Garcia has explained why Bayern Munich winger, Jamal Musiala was excluded from the 2024 Ballon d’Or shortlist.
DAILY POST reported that France Football recently announced the list of the 30 men’s Ballon d’Or 2024 nominees.
Nigerian-born Musiala was not in the list despite being one of the standout players for his club last season.
Musiala netted 12 goals and bagged eight assists in 38 appearances for the Bavarians.
He was one of the highest goalscorers in Euro 2024, with three goals to his name and spearheading Germany’s run till the quarter-finals.
He was left out despite his national teammates, Toni Kroos, Florian Wirtz, Mats Hummels, and Antonio Rudiger getting selected.
Garcia said, as quoted by Tz’s Philipp Kessler via @iMiaSanMia, “The fact that Jamal Musiala is not on the list of 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or does not mean that his talent, which everyone recognizes, is in question.
“In fact, he was there in 2023 and was also nominated for the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the best young player.
“But like Jude Bellingham, his status has evolved and expectations were probably higher this year. As a result, he was probably assessed differently.
“He also failed to impress in important matches such as the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid or the Euros quarter-final against Spain, where his performances were not catastrophic but rather neutral.
“Bayern’s season, which saw them finish in the Bundesliga at their worst since 2011, did not help him either. I’m sure he will return to this list in the future.”
