Ignored by France for Ballon d'Or, Wendie Renard breaks silence

Nominated for the sixth time for the women’s Ballon d’Or, Wendie Renard did not receive a single congratulation from the official X account of the France team, while her compatriots also selected, Melvin Malard and Selma Bacha, were warmly greeted. The list of 30 nominees was unveiled on Wednesday by France Football.

The lack of recognition did not go unnoticed. A legend of the Bleues with 168 caps and 39 goals, the 36-year-old defender has not been called up by head coach Laurent Bonadei since May 2025. She chose to respond publicly, after her former teammate Eugénie Le Sommer sent her a message of support on Instagram: « Because some forgot to congratulate you… Well done Wendie Renard. »

« Thank you Eugé, » Renard replied. « Apparently, wearing the France team jersey for all these years is no longer enough to be considered French when it comes time for congratulations. But anyway… Proud of this 6th Ballon d’Or nomination. »

Former Lyon international Sydney Govou also took a stand on X. « Football has a selective memory, » he first wrote, before denouncing « a shame! » and congratulating the player: « Well done little sister. »

The silence of the official Bleues account regarding their historic captain fuels questions about the nature of Renard’s exclusion, which has so far received no public explanation from the federation or the head coach.