The time has come to find out which player will be the next winner of the Ballon d’Or, with Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland among the standout contenders. The prize is given to the world’s best individual player on a yearly basis and was most recently won by Karim Benzema after Real Madrid’s impressive Champions League triumph in 2022.
Messi won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain last season after leading Argentina to World Cup glory, with the 36-year-old scoring twice in the final against France. Haaland, meanwhile, broke the record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League campaign as Manchester City stormed to a historic treble.
It has been widely reported that Messi has already been voted as this year’s winner and will collect his trophy at tonight’s glitzy ceremony in Paris. It will mark the eighth time that Messi is awarded the prestigious gong, putting him even further ahead of five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo in the overall standings.
Follow Express Sport‘s live Ballon d’Or updates below.
KEY EVENTS
Yashin Trophy nominees
The Yashin Trophy will given to the best goalkeeper and the nominees for the award are:
Emiliano Martinez
Mike Maignan
Thibaut Courtois
Aaron Ramsdale
Yassine Bounou
Andre Onana
Dominik Livakovic
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
Ederson
Brice Samba
30th-21st places revealed
The results for top 30 in the Ballon d’Or voting are gradually being revealed.
Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are included, as are Manchester United’s Andre Onana and Manchester City pair Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.
30th – Ruben Dias
28th= Martin Odegaard and Randal Kolo Muani
27th – Nicolo Barella
26th – Jamal Musiala
25th – Josko Gvardiol
24th – Bukayo Saka
23rd – Andre Onana
22nd – Kim Min-jae
21st – Antoine Griezmann
Women’s Ballon d’Or
Spain’s Aitana Bonmati is the favourite to win the women’s award this evening.
The midfielder has had a superb year for club and country.
She won the league and Champions League with Barcelona, as well as the World Cup with Spain.
England have four Lionesses up for the award, with Mille Bright, Rachel Daly, Mary Earps and Georgia Stanway all in contention.
Germany’s Alex Popp and Australia’s Sam Kerr will also be among the top contenders.
England players miss ceremony
England Lionesses nominated for the Women’s Ballon d’Or will miss tonight’s ceremony.
Millie Bright, Mary Earps, Rachel Daly and Georgia Stanway are all in contention.
However, they won’t be present in Paris due to having a Nations League match away to Belgium tomorrow.
Stanway hit out at the scheduling at a press conference earlier today.
Ballon d’Or result ‘leaked’
The result for this evening’s main award may have already been leaked.
Erling Haaland was initially seen as a favourite for the Ballon d’Or following his record-breaking season at Manchester City.
But earlier this month, reports emerged that Lionel Messi is in line to win it for an eighth time.
Messi won the World Cup with Argentina last year and Ligue 1 with PSG, while Haaland helped lead City to a historic treble.
Good evening!
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
We will have updates throughout the evening as Lionel Messi potentially closes in on a record-extending eighth award.
The ceremony is expected to begin in Paris at around 8pm.
- Advert-free experience without interruptions.
- Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
- Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.
Source: Read Full Article
