Don't you watch the matches, or are you blind? Former PSG star criticises the Ballon d'Or choices

Is this exclusion reasonable?

Against all expectations, Désiré Doué missed out on the thirty-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or. The Paris Saint-Germain star's snub left Jérôme Rothen, the former France international, seething.

His is one of the shortlist's most glaring absences. Paris Saint-Germain placed ten players among the 30 nominees, yet Doué's name is nowhere to be found.

Doué finished last season in fourteenth place and scooped the Golden Boy award. The former Rennes man scored five goals in 13 Champions League matches, though he failed to find the net from the second leg of the quarter-final onwards.

Rothen, once a star at Saint-Germain and Monaco, finds the omission of the French international baffling, just as he does that of Bradley Barcola. Doué also reached the World Cup semi-final with France, and Rothen insists the 21-year-old had a strong chance of winning the award.

Speaking to the RMC Sport network, Rothen said: "Either they are blind, or they do not watch the matches. Looking at Paris Saint-Germain's campaign last year, if Désiré Doué were an average player, do you think he would have played all the important matches? Luis Enrique would have left him out, especially as the competition intensified."

He added: "Doué has always played the important matches. Look at his matches right up to the Champions League final; he is often the one who makes the difference. In the semi-final and the final, he was one of the best players."

He continued: "Is it reasonable to leave him out of the list of thirty players and add other players instead? Sometimes he makes unnecessary moves. Why does he do that? When one feels superior, one may want to show off. He may try to attempt a complicated move. This does not mean he has become arrogant or that he is a bad person."

He went on: "Against Rennes (in the first round of the French league), Paris Saint-Germain survived thanks to Ferran Torres, but fortunately Désiré Doué was there. He was the only one who had any vitality. Why has he disappeared from the list?"

Ousmane Dembélé, last season's winner, leads a strong PSG contingent still in the running. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Achraf Hakimi, Fabián Ruiz, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Marquinhos, João Neves and Willian Pacho all remain in contention.

Spain, champions of the last World Cup in the United States, boast the most nominees with six, among them Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Rodri and new PSG signing Ferran Torres.

Lionel Messi rounds off the list. The eight-time winner and World Cup runner-up with Argentina, who announced his international retirement days ago, remains a candidate for a ninth crown.