The worst-kept secret in football is set to be revealed tonight as Lionel Messi prepares to lift the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in his career.
Despite Erling Haaland firing an incredible 52 goals to inspire Manchester City to a historic treble, the greatest player in the history of the game is widely expected to bag the prize after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year.
Haaland is one of 12 current Premier League players on the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or 2023 including City team-mates Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Rodri and Bernardo Silva.
Last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, Karim Benzema, has made the cut but there is no place for Cristiano Ronaldo after slinking off to Saudi Arabia following his Manchester United exit ahead of last year’s World Cup.
The Ballon d’Or Feminin is also up for grabs but Alexia Putellas’ hopes of winning the trophy for the third year in a row were ended by an ACL injury.
England rising star Jude Bellingham is among the leading contenders for the Kopa Trophy – handed to the best men’s under-21 player – while the world’s best goalkeepers look to get their hands on the Yashin Trophy.
When is the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony?
The Ballon d’Or winner will be revealed on Monday, October 30 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
What time is the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony?
The Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to get underway at 6pm. You should be prepared to settle down for a long evening as there are various other awards to dish out.
Who is on the Ballon d’Or 2023 shortlist?
Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig and Manchester City)
Andre Onana (Inter Milan and Manchester United)
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid and Al-Ittihad)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain)
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid)
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City and Barcelona)
Yassine Bounou (Sevilla and Al-Hilal)
Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
Rodri (Manchester City)
Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami)
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Kim Min-jae (Napoli and Bayern Munich)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich)
How to watch the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony?
You can catch the Ballon d’Or ceremony on L’Equipe’s official YouTube channel as well as TNT Sports 2 and the BBC Red Button.
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