2023 Ballon d’Or nominees were announced on Wednesday, 6th of September, with Bukayo Saka among several Premier League players included.
The remarkable ceremony will be held in Paris on the 30th of October, 2023, with Karim Benzema the current holder after helping Real Madrid win the Champions League in 2022.
The winner will be declared at the ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris same day.
Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi lead the 30 men shortlist for the 2023 Ballon d’Or according to the organisers of the award, France Football Magazine.
Lionel Messi, the former FC Barcelona star is the favourite to win the title for the eighth time after guiding Argentina to a World Cup victory in Qatar, but, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are both likely to be in dissent.
Messi captained Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup in December, capturing the one big prize that had eluded him during his 21-year career.
Messi had a year of ups and downs on the club level. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to assist Paris Saint-Germain past the round of 16 in the Champions League for a second straight season. However, he did contribute to the team’s 11th Ligue 1 championship.
He left Paris this summer and signed as a free transfer with Inter Miami, where he has already helped the club win the U.S. Open Cup and has advanced to the Leagues Cup final.
Messi may face his toughest challenge for the honor from another nominee Erling Haaland after helping Manchester City win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League thanks in large part to the efforts of the Norwegian striker, who scored 52 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions.
The 23-year-old scored 36 goals in his first season in England’s Premier League, setting a new record for most goals in a season.
As a result of his outstanding performances, the striker was named the Premier League’s Player of the Season, the PFA’s Player of the Year, and the Men’s Player of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association.
There are several English Premier League players on the list once again including Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Mo Salah of Liverpool,
England captain Harry Kane who joined Bayern Munich in the just concluded summer transfer and his international teammate Jude Bellingham were also included.
Manchester City Treble winners were also included with Haaland among other teammates, the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and Julian Alvarez. Former captain Ilkay Gundogan also featured alongside summer signing Josko Gvardiol.
Andre Onana, Manchester United goalkeeper, and Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. were also included in the list after Onana guided Inter Milan to the UEFA Champions League final.
Real Madrid’s new boy Jude Bellingham is also on the list for the main honor and the under-21 category award for the Kopa Trophy, which includes Manchester United’s new signing Rasmus Hojlund after his remarkable performance with Atalanta last season.
Meanwhile, Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has been selected for the Yashin Trophy, assigned to the best shoot-stopper of the year. Ramsdale is joined by World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez, Manchester City’s Ederson, and Onana.
Manchester City and Argentina had a disproportionate number of candidates this year. There are four Argentines on the list, including Messi, who helped his country win their third World Cup, and seven players who helped City win the treble last season.
Below are the list of the 30 men players shortlisted for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award
Julian Alvarez, Nicolo Barella, Jude Bellwasam, Karim Benzema, Yassine Bounou, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan, Antoine Griezmann, Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Robert Lewandowski, Randal Kolo Muani, Emiliano Martinez, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Kim Min-Kae, Luka Modric, Jamal Musiala, Martin Odegaard, Andre Onana, Victor Osimhen, Rodri, Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah, Bernardo Silva, Vinicius Jr
