The list of 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees consisting of 30 players has been released and the winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Theater du Chatelet, Paris, October 30, 2023. The Ballon d’Or is an annual award given by French magazine, France Football, to the best player based on performance during one season. The Ballon d’Or award was first awarded in 1956.
Names such as Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema are competing for the Ballon d’Or. Lionel Messi missed out on the Ballon d’Or nominations last year, but is back in the running after successfully leading Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup. However, the spotlight is on Cristiano Ronaldo who missed out on the Ballon d’Or nomination list for the first time since 2004.
Cristiano Ronaldo got his first nomination for the 2004 Ballon d’Or while still a Manchester United. He then became a Ballon d’Or subscriber and won five trophies in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. The player with the initials CR7 only lost to Lionel Messi who is the most Ballon d’Or winner with seven trophies. However, Ronaldo still holds the record as the player with the most Ballon d’Or nominations, namely 18 times.
Lionel Messi is the winner of the most Ballon d’Or trophies with seven titles. Messi first entered the list of Ballon d’Or nominees in 2006 and won his first Ballon d’Or three years later. Overall, Messi won seven Ballon d’Or trophies in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2-15, 2019 and 2021. Cristiano Ronaldo is the second player with the most Ballon d’Or trophies. CR7 collected five trophies won in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017.
Meanwhile, Manchester City bomber, Erling Haaland, is a strong contender to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Haaland made brilliant achievements last season by scoring 52 goals in 53 appearances for Man City in all competitions. His goals helped Man City achieve the treble for the first time in club history by winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
Haaland has a number of rivals for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, including Lionel Messi, who won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with the Argentine national team. Messi completed his achievements in Qatar by winning the Golden Ball, which is a symbol of the award for the best player in the 2022 World Cup.
