The prestigious Ballon d’Or awards are drawing near, with Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland emerging as frontrunners for this year’s men’s prize.
Meanwhile, Spain’s World Cup star, Aitana Bonmati, leads the nominees for the women’s Ballon d’Or.
Messi, who recently transferred from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami, has a strong chance of winning the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in his illustrious career. This follows his leadership in Argentina’s World Cup victory in Qatar last year.
Erling Haaland is a formidable contender for the award, having scored an impressive 52 goals in 53 games during the previous season.
His contributions helped Manchester City secure an exceptional treble of the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup titles.
Haaland received further recognition by winning the UEFA Player of the Year Award for last season.
Other prominent players among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or include PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne.
The winner of the Ballon d’Or will be unveiled at a ceremony in Paris on October 30, where the world’s best male footballer will be celebrated.
The complete list of nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or includes:
- André Onana – Manchester United/Cameroon
- Josko Gvardiol – Manchester City/Croatia
- Karim Benzema – Al Ittihad
- Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich/Germany
- Mohamed Salah – Liverpool/Egypt
- Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England
- Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England
- Randal Kolo Muani – Paris Saint-Germain/France
- Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City/Belgium
- Bernardo Silva – Manchester City/Portugal
- Emiliano Martínez – Aston Villa/Argentina
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli/Georgia
- Rúben Dias – Manchester City/Portugal
- Nicolo Barella – Inter Milan/Italy
- Erling Haaland – Manchester City/Norway
- Yassine Bounou – Al Hilal/Morocco
- Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal/Norway
- Julián Álvarez – Manchester City/Argentina
- Ilkay Gündogan – Barcelona/Germany
- Vinícius Júnior – Real Madrid/Brazil
- Lionel Messi – Inter Miami/Argentina
- Rodri – Manchester City/Spain
- Lautaro Martínez – Inter Milan/Argentina
- Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid/France
- Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona/Poland
- Kylian Mbappé – Paris Saint-Germain/France
- Kim Min-Jae – Napoli/South Korea
- Victor Osimhen – Napoli/Nigeria
- Luka Modric – Real Madrid/Croatia
- Harry Kane – Bayern Munich/England
