“How Naomi Girma isn’t nominated makes the whole thing hilarious,” remarked NWSL’s Seattle Reign boss Laura Harvey over the USWNT defender’s absence from the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Of course, there’s no point in discussing the prestigious award, considering it was concluded a few days ago. Yet, Emma Hayes has a bone to pick with France Football, who claims there are still a few things that aren’t ‘right in the women’s game.’

The former Chelsea manager’s discord also stems from the absence of the very same Girma, who she touted as “the best defender I’ve ever seen.” Then again, even if Aitana Bonmati lifted her second consecutive award, Hayes believes it wasn’t all dark for USWNT as she is rather happy to see her five stars make the cut. “I’m so grateful but also so proud of the players,” began Emma in the pre-match presser, ahead of facing Argentina for October’s final friendly clash.

Notably, Hayes managed to bring home an accolade: the Johan Cruyff Women’s Award for being the best coach in the world. Meanwhile, Smith, Horan, Swanson, and Rodman finished 4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th, respectively, with goalkeeper Naeher securing 17th place on the 30-player list—an outcome the 47-year-old is thankful for. “Whether it be Alyssa, the Triple Espresso, Lindsey, and we had four players in the top 10. You know, that’s a great honor.”

Even though Girma’s absence defies description, Hayes insists there’s little to be done besides highlighting what’s truly lacking in these situations. “Yes, we could sit here all day and say Naomi Girma should be there and she should. So for that reason, we’re still not getting all of those things right in the women’s game,” concluded Hayes.

Of course, it wasn’t just Hayes who wanted Girma to be on the 30-player Ballon d’Or list; besides fans, even pundits and a few players were also left perplexed by this eyebrow-raising snub. Lynn Williams, who also won gold alongside Naomi in Paris, thought France Football “made a printing error and they need to go back” to fix the list.

Former midfielder Sam Mewis also added on the situation saying, “If people were going to talk about the first player to be on the list it would have been Naomi Girma.” Meanwhile, USMNT icon Alexi Lalas called it an “absolute travesty” to not see the San Diego Waves defender contesting for the Golden Ball. However, there’s someone who believes Girma’s time will come soon!

An Olympic gold medalist under Emma Hayes admits Naomi Girma will get her deserved ‘recognition’

During an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Casey Murphy expressed her astonishment at Naomi Girma’s absence from the list of nominees. “I personally think Naomi is one of the best defenders in the world. I’m not too sure how the nomination process works or super familiar with it, but there’s no doubt her time will come in that recognition,” said the goalkeeper.

Murphy ended the conversation by complimenting the defender, expressing that, having played alongside her and gotten to know her personally, Naomi is truly remarkable both on and off the field. Murphy added that she’s excited to see where the 24-year-old takes her game as the USWNT center-back continues to stand out from the rest.

Do you think Naomi Girma will win the Ballon d’Or in the future? Let us know in the comments.