Argentina captain Lionel Messi is in the running for an eighth Ballon d’Or win with Erling Harland and Kylian Mbappé are his main rivals for the award.
Everything points to Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi adding to his collection of seven Ballon d’Or trophies when the 2023 ceremony is held in Paris on Monday night. The current MLS star appears set to be rewarded for leading Argentina to their first World Cup in 36 years - and The Herons to their first ever trophy with their 2023 Leagues Cup earlier this summer.
Despite Messi being the firm favourite for soccer’s most prestigious individual award, the main contenders this year for the award come in the shape of Erling Haaland and PSG striker Kylian Mbappé.
Messi’s rivals
It felt as if Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was breaking records every week in 2022-23 and the Norwegian has started this season in similar fashion. The 23-year-old striker secured a historic treble (Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League) with Manchester City, scoring 52 goals across all competitions in his debut season for the club.
The other big favourite is Kylian Mbappe, who won the Golden Boot at the World Cup in Qatar, scoring eight times for France, including a hat-trick in the final. The fact Les Bleus ended up on the losing side could count against him, however, as might Paris Saint-Germain’s poor form for much of 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo again left off Ballon d’Or nominations list
Last year’s winner Karim Benzema is nominated once again, although playing in the Saudi Pro League has done nothing to bring the Frenchman’s former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won on five occasions, back into the fold with the Al Nassr veteran striker missing the cut for the shortlist.
2023 Men’s Ballon D’or nominees
André Onana - Inter-Manchester United/Cameroon
Josko Gvardiol - RB Lipsia-Manchester City/Croatia
Karim Benzema - Real-Madrid-Al Ittihad
Jamal Musiala - Bayern Munich/Germany
Mohamed Salah - Liverpool/Egypt
Jude Bellingham - Borussia Dortmund-Real Madrid/England
Bukayo Saka - Arsenal/England
Randal Kolo Muani - Eintracht Frankfurt-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 - Sevilla-Al Hilal/Morocco
Martin Ødegaard - Arsenal/Norway
Julián Álvarez - Manchester City/Argentina
Ilkay Gündogan - Barcelona/Germany
Vinícius Júnior - Real Madrid/Brazil
Lionel Messi - Paris Saint-Germain-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-Bayern Munich/South Korea
Victor Osimhen - Napoli/Nigeria
Luka Modric - Real Madrid/Croatia
Harry Kane - Tottenham-Bayern Munich/England