September 7 – Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Miami’s Lionel Messi head the 30-player list of candidates for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.
On Wednesday, France Football revealed the list for this year’s Ballon d’Or, with the Norwegian striker, who stormed his way to the treble with City, and Messi, who won the World Cup with his native Argentina, on the shortlist.
Last year, Messi was omitted from the shortlist. For the first time since 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the Ballon d’Or five times didn’t make the cut this year. Messi could win the coveted award for an eighth time.
In February, Messi also won The Best, FIFA’s men’s player of the year award for a second time.
Haaland broke the Premier League’s single-season scoring record with 36 goals in his debut campaign in England and scored 52 goals in 53 matches to help Man City clinch the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.
Messi had a mixed club season at PSG before moving to Florida and his spectacular debut for MLS side InterMiami, having won Argentina’s first World Cup since 1986 in Qatar last December.
Players from Manchester City and Argentina dominate this year’s list of nominees. The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
Full list of men’s Ballon d’Or nominees:
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
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1735325027labto1735325027ofdlr1735325027owedi1735325027sni@i1735325027tnuk.1735325027ardni1735325027mas1735325027