2023 Ballon d’Or Nominees Announced: Manchester United’s Andre Onana, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah Among Nominees
The 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees have been announced, with Manchester United’s Andre Onana, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah among the 30 players nominated for the prestigious trophy.
The Ballon d’Or is awarded to the best player in world football each year, and the list of nominees is always hotly anticipated. This year, the list includes some of the biggest names in the game, including Onana, Saka and Salah.
The Nominees
The first five nominees were announced by the Ballon d’Or Twitter account, with United goalkeeper Onana on the list alongside Liverpool star Salah, Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol, Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema.
Saka was confirmed on the list in the second tweet with City duo Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva as well as Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani.
Erling Haaland headlined the third instalment of nominees which also includes City team-mate Ruben Dias, Inter Milan star Nicolo Barella, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was the 16th player nominated while Barcelona’s Ilkay Gundogan, City’s Julian Alvarez, Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr and Morocco international Yassine Bono made it 20.
Lionel Messi was named on the fifth list of five nominees with Robert Lewandowski, Antoine Griezmann, Rodri and Lautaro Martinez.
The final six nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or include Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Luka Modric, Victor Osimhen and Kim Min-jae.
The Current Holder
Benzema is the current Ballon d’Or holder after he picked up the 2022 trophy for his heroics at Real Madrid, with Sadio Mane finishing second and De Bruyne third.
Messi has won the Ballon d’Or seven times – a record number – and the Argentine is looking to land his eighth trophy.
The Kopa Trophy Nominees
The full list of nominees for the 2023 Kopa Trophy has also been revealed, which is the award handed to the best U21 player in the world.
Ballon d’Or nominees Bellingham and Musiala are up for the Kopa Trophy while United striker Rasmus Hojlund is also on the list.
Barcelona duo Gavi and Pedri are nominated for the Kopa Trophy too as well as Eduardo Camavinga, Xavi Simons, Antonio Silva, Elye Wahi and Alejandro Balde.
Conclusion
The 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees have been announced and it promises to be an exciting race for the prestigious trophy. Onana, Saka and Salah are among the 30 players nominated for the award, with Benzema currently holding it after winning it in 2022.
The full list of nominees for the 2023 Kopa Trophy has also been revealed, with Bellingham and Musiala among those up for the award. It promises to be an exciting race for both awards, with Messi looking to win his eighth Ballon d’Or.