The much-awaited Ballon d'Or 2023 ceremony will take place on Monday, October 30, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. The annual European football awards ceremony will kickstart at 11:30 PM IST.
Earlier, the Ballon d'Or was awarded to the football player who excelled throughout a calendar year. However, ever since last year, there has been a minor change in the criteria.
Similar to 2022, this year will witness the prestigious award being presented to the best player based on their performance in the previous footballing season, from August 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023.
Apart from the 67th Ballon d'Or, several other awards will be presented at the ceremony. The Women's Ballon d'Or will be given to the best female player, and the Kopa Trophy shall be handed over to the best male player under 21. The Yachine Trophy will be given to the top-performing goalkeeper in the men's category.
Regarding the nominees for this year's Ballon d'Or, seven-time winner Lionel Messi is the frontrunner to win a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or, ahead of Erling Haaland, who won the treble with Manchester City as their top-scorer last season. Here are the nominees for the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Ballon d'Or 2023 nominees
- André Onana – Manchester United and Cameroon
- Josko Gvardiol – Manchester City and Croatia
- Karim Benzema – Al Ittihad and France
- Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich and Germany
- Mohamed Salah – Liverpool and Egypt
- Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid and England
- Bukayo Saka – Arsenal and England
- Randal Kolo Muani – Paris Saint-Germain and France
- Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City and Belgium
- Bernardo Silva – Manchester City and Portugal
- Emiliano Martínez – Aston Villa and Argentina
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli and Georgia
- Rúben Dias – Manchester City and Portugal
- Lautaro Martínez – Inter Milan and Argentina
- Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid and France
- Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona and Poland
- Kylian Mbappé – Paris Saint-Germain and France
- Kim Min-jae – Napoli and South Korea
- Victor Osimhen – Napoli and Nigeria
- Luka Modric – Real Madrid and Croatia
- Harry Kane – Bayern Munich and England
- Nicolo Barella – Inter Milan and Italy
- Erling Haaland – Manchester City and Norway
- Yassine Bounou – Al Hilal and Morocco
- Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal and Norway
- Julián Álvarez – Manchester City and Argentina
- Ilkay Gündogan – Barcelona and Germany
- Vinícius Júnior – Real Madrid and Brazil
- Lionel Messi – Inter Miami and Argentina
- Rodri – Manchester City and Spain
The favouite for Ballon d’Or 2023 Lionel Messi enjoyed a great season during the 2022-23 campaign as he provided a whopping 63 goal contributions for club and country.
However, what makes Messi the most likely winner of Ballon d’Or 2023 is his triumphant FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign with Argentina. The Argentine led his country to its third World Cup title in December 2022.
Meanwhile, Messi’s closest contender for the converted prize Erling Haaland also enjoyed a marvellous campaign with Manchester City in the 2022-23 season.
He scored 52 goals and provided 9 assists for Manchester City and finished as the team’s top-scorer in what was a treble-winning campaign for the Blues.
While Messi is eyeing a record eighth Ballon d’Or, Erling Haaland is hoping for his first. Messi has already won the Ballon d’Or seven times, two more than rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won five Ballon d’Ors - the second most after the Argentine legend.
The likes of Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, and Marco van Basten have each won it three times.
Where to watch Ballon d’Or 2023 live in India?
Live telecast of the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony will be available on the Sony TEN 2 and Sony TEN 2 HD TV channels in India.
Live streaming of the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony will be available on the SonyLiv and JioTV apps and websites in India.
Photo credit: Alamy
