Messi Eyes Ear-Tinkling 8th Title As Ballon d’Or 2023 Holds Today
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – As one of the most prestigious individual football awards that can be won by a soccer player each year, the Ballon d’Or was established in 1956.
So, this France Football’s Golden Ball accolade is making its appearance for the 67th year in 2023.
Argentine National team captain, Lionel Messi is hoping to land a record-extending eighth trophy this year. However, the empyrean South American football icon faces stiff competition from the likes of Manchester City’s in-form striker, Erling Haaland and PSG of France talisman, Kylian Mbappe.
Interestingly, five-time winner and Portugal’s national team captain, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to receive a nomination in this year’s competition that has immediate past winners, Luka Modric of Real Madrid and former team mate, Karim Benzema in the running.
Date And Start Time For 2023 Ballon d’Or Ceremony
The 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place today, Monday, October 30, 2023, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
Fans across the world will be able to stream the 2023 Ballon d’Or for free on L’Equipe’s official YouTube channel
The event will commence at approximately 6 pm GMT in the United Kingdom (UK), which means viewers in the United States (US) should be preparing to tune in at 2 pm ET.
Date: Monday, October 30, 2023
Time: 6pm GMT / 2 pm ET
Venue: Theatre du Chatelet, Paris
TV & stream: TNT Sports (UK), Paramount+ (U.S.), YouTube (international)
Regional broadcasters will also be showing the ceremony live on their networks. Paramount+ will be streaming the Ballon d’Or ceremony in the United States, while TNT Sports 2 and Discovery+ will show the ceremony in the United Kingdom.
The full list of nominees for each award below
2023 Men’s Ballon d’Or nominees
| Player | Club | National Team |
|---|---|---|
| Julian Alvarez | Man City | Argentina |
| Nicolo Barella | Inter | Italy |
| Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | England |
| Karim Benzema | Al-Ittihad | France |
| Yassine Bounou | Al-Hilal | Morocco |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Man City | Belgium |
| Ruben Dias | Man City | Portugal |
| Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid | France |
| Ilkay Gundogan | Barcelona | Germany |
| Josko Gvardiol | Man City | Croatia |
| Erling Haaland | Man City | Norway |
| Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | England |
| Kim Min-jae | Bayern Munich | South Korea |
| Randal Kolo Muani | PSG | France |
| Kvicha Kvaratskhelia | Napoli | Georgia |
| Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | Poland |
| Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| Lautaro Martinez | Inter | Argentina |
| Kylian Mbappe | PSG | France |
| Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | Argentina |
| Luka Modric | Real Madrid | Croatia |
| Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| Martin Odegaard | Arsenal | Norway |
| Andre Onana | Man Utd | Cameroon |
| Victor Osimhen | Napoli | Nigeria |
| Rodri | Man City | Spain |
| Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | England |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Egypt |
| Bernardo Silva | Man City | Portugal |
| Vinicius Jr | Real Madrid | Brazil |
2023 Ballon d’Or Feminin nominees
| Player | Club | National Team |
|---|---|---|
| Aitana Bonmati | Barcelona | Spain |
| Millie Bright | Chelsea | England |
| Linda Caicedo | Real Madrid | Colombia |
| Olga Carmona | Real Madrid | Spain |
| Rachel Daly | Aston Villa | England |
| Debinha | Kansas City Current | Brazil |
| Kadidiatou Diani | Lyon | France |
| Mary Earps | Man Utd | England |
| Patricia Guijarro | Barcelona | Spain |
| Yui Hasegawa | Man City | Japan |
| Amanda Ilestedt | Arsenal | Sweden |
| Sam Kerr | Chelsea | Australia |
| Mapi Leon | Barcelona | Spain |
| Katie McCabe | Arsenal | Republic of Ireland |
| Hinata Miyazawa | MyNavi Sendai | Japan |
| Lena Oberdorf | Wolfsburg | Germany |
| Asisat Oshoala | Barcelona | Nigeria |
| Ewa Pajor | Wolfsburg | Poland |
| Salma Paralluelo | Barcelona | Spain |
| Alexandra Popp | Wolfsburg | Germany |
| Hayley Raso | Real Madrid | Australia |
| Alba Redondo | Levante | Spain |
| Guro Reiten | Chelsea | Norway |
| Wendie Renard | Lyon | France |
| Fridolina Rolfo | Barcelona | Sweden |
| Jill Roord | Man City | Netherlands |
| Khadija Shaw | Man City | Jamaica |
| Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns | United States |
| Georgia Stanway | Bayern Munich | England |
| Daphne van Domselaar | Aston Villa | Netherlands |
