The 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees were announced on September 6, 2023, by the organisers of the award, France Football magazine.
The Ballon d’Or award is viewed as the highest individual award in football. The award is given to players on the basis of previous season performances for both club and country.
The award started in 1956, with the current holder of the award being Al Ittihad striker Karim Benzema.
Here are what you need to know about 2023 Ballon d’Or.
The Date For Ballon d’Or Presentation
The Ballon d’Or award will take place on Monday, October 16, 2023. The occasion will commence by 8:00 p.m. UK time; however, it is subject to changes by the organizer of the program.
Who Are The Major Contenders For the 2023 Ballon d’Or Award
The two major contenders for the 2023 Ballon d’Or are Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.
The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder won the World Cup, the Ligue 1 title, and the UEFA Cup of Champions.
In addition, he won the 2023 League Cup with Inter Miami, becoming the player with the highest number of titles in the world.
In the 2022–23 season, the midfielder scored 32 goals in 52 appearances for the club. He was the player of the tournament in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scoring seven goals in the tournament.
If he ends up getting the majority vote, he will be the player with the highest number of Ballon d’Ors in the history of football.
Erling Haaland, on the other hand, was Manchester City’s best player of the season. He won the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup in the 2022–23 season. In addition, he won the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla this season.
Since joining Manchester City, Erling Haaland’s individual award for his great performances has been exceptional.
He won the 2023 Best Player in Europe award and the Golden Boot for the Premier League and Champions League.
Haaland scored a total of 36 goals in the Premier League and 12 goals in the Champions League last season.
In the 2023–24 season, the Norwegian striker scored six goals.
However, a lot of people don’t think the striker will win the award this year due to the fact that he didn’t win the World Cup in Qatar.
The Major Award Category
The French award has been categorized into various forms.
1. Ballon d’Or Feminin
Aitana Bonmati
Mille Bright
Linda Caicedo
Olga Carmona
Rachel Daly
Debinha
Kadidiatou Diani
Mary Earps
Patricia Guijarro
Yui Hasegawa
Amanda Ilestedt
Sam Kerr
Mapi Leon
Katie McCabe
Hinata Miyazawa
Lena Oberdorf
Asisat Oshoala
Ewa Pajor
Salma Paralluelo
Alexandra Popp
Hayley Raso
Alba Redondo
Guro Reiten
Wendie Renard
Fridolina Rolfo
Jill Roord
Khadija Shaw
Sophia Smith
Georgia Stanway
Daphne van Domeslaar
2. The Socrates Award
2023 Nominees Are
Alex Morgan
Asisat Oshoala
Marcus Rashford
Antonio Rüdiger
Vinícius Júnior
3. Gerd Mueller Trophy
4. Kopa Trophy
2023 Nominees Are
Jude Bellingham
Alejandro Balde
Eduardo Camavinga
Gavi
Rasmus Hojlund
Jamal Musiala
Pedri
Xavi Simons
Antonio Silva
Elye Wahi
5. Ballon d’Or
2023 Nominees Are
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
6. Yashin Award
2023 Nominees Are
Emiliano Martinez
Mike Maignan
Thibaut Courtois
Aaron Ramsdale
Yasssine Bounou
Andre Onana
Dominik Livakovic
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
Ederson
Brice Samba
7. Club of the Year
Where will the ceremony take place
The 2023 Ballon d’Or award ceremony will take place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France. Managers, football legends, and nominees will be present to witness history take place for another year.
Where to watch the Ballon d’Or award
For people in Africa, the Ballon d’Or ceremony will be shown live on SuperSports 3.
For other parts of Europe, it can be viewed on the Eurosport website and app. Also, it will be available on SkySports channels.
For the American it will be televised live on Paramount+
Can a fan vote for Ballon d’Or nominees?
It is impossible to vote for the Ballon d’Or nominees as a fan. The winner of the award is only selected by 100 journalists from the FIFA 100 top-ranked national teams in the world.
How Does The Winner Of The Ballon d’Or Emerges
100 Journalist are allowed to pick their top five players from the 30 nominated. They rank their five choices and a number of votes are awarded based on the following points.
1. First will get six points
2. Second will get four points
3. Third will get three points
4. Fourth will get two points
5. Fifth will get One point
After the collection from the 100 Journalist, the points will be totaled to choose the winner.
