France Football magazine unveiled on Wednesday the list of 30 players competing for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, the prestigious award awarded to the best player of the year. This year, four African footballers were nominated for this distinction.
The list of 30 candidates for the 2023 Ballon d’Or is now official. The presentation ceremony for this renowned individual award will be held on October 30 in Paris, France. Among the contenders for the supreme title, the undisputed favorites are Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Four African players are also among the nominees. Among them, Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian striker from Napoli, Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian from Liverpool, as well as two goalkeepers in the running for the Yachine trophy: André Onana from Cameroon and Yassine Bounou from Morocco.
While the captain of the France team and PSG striker, Kylian Mbappé, has solid arguments to climb on the top step of the podium, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi seem to have a head start. The fearsome Norwegian goalscorer had an outstanding season with Manchester City, scoring 52 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions, contributing significantly to his side’s FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League wins, a historic treble .
On the other hand, Lionel Messi, the star of the American club, Inter Miami, arrives with the title of world champion 2022, acquired alongside the national team of Argentina in Qatar. As captain of the Albiceleste and holder of the record for seven Ballons d’Or won, Messi played a decisive role in his selection, scoring 7 goals, including a brace in the final against France.
Here is the full list of the 30 nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or:
1. Josko Gvardiol (21, Manchester City/Croatia)
2. Jamal Musiala (20, Bayern Munich/Germany)
3. André Onana (27, Manchester United/Cameroon)
4. Karim Benzema (35, Al-Ittihad/France)
5. Mohamed Salah (31, Liverpool/Egypt)
6. Bukayo Saka (22, Arsenal/England)
7. Kevin De Bruyne (32 years old, Manchester City/Belgium)
8. Jude Bellingham (20 years old, Real Madrid/England)
9. Randal Kolo Muani (24 years old, PSG/France)
10. Bernardo Silva (29 years old, Manchester City /Portugal)
11. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (22 years old, Naples/Georgia)
12. Nicolo Barella (26 years old, Inter Milan/Italy)
13. Emiliano Martinez (31 years old, Aston Villa/Argentina)
14. Ruben Dias (26 years old, Manchester City/Portugal)
15. Erling Haaland (23 years old, Manchester City/Norway)
16. Martin Odegaard (24 years old, Arsenal/Norway)
17. Ilkay Gündogan (32 years old, Barça/Germany)
18. Yassine Bounou (32 years old, Al -Hilal/Morocco)
19. Julian Alvarez (23 years old, Manchester City/Argentina)
20. Vinicius Junior (23 years old, Real Madrid/Brazil)
21. Rodri (27 years old, Manchester City/Spain)
22. Antoine Griezmann (32 years old, Atlético Madrid/France)
23. Lionel Messi (36 years old, Inter Miami/Argentina )
24. Lautaro Martinez (26 years old, Inter Milan/Argentina)
25. Robert Lewandowski (35 years old, Barça/Poland)
26. Kim Min-Jae (26 years old, Bayern Munich/South Korea)
27. Luka Modric (37 years old , Real Madrid/Croatia)
28. Kylian Mbappé (24 years old, PSG/France)
29. Victor Osimhen (24 years old, Naples/Nigeria)
30. Harry Kane (30 years old, Bayern Munich/England)