France Football magazine has announced the 30-players shortlist for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. The Premier League has the most players nominated for the prestigious award, and below we look at them all.
1- Erling Haaland
Haaland has been creating headlines since joining Manchester City last summer from Borussia Dortmund. The Norwegian scored 52 goals in 53 club games last term, and he is expected to give Lionel Messi the toughest challenge for the Ballon d’Or.
2- Kevin De Bruyne
No team can get a better midfielder than Kevin De Bruyne, who is enormously talented and versatile, and is highly rated for his wide range of passing, vision and crossing ability.
3- Rodri
Rodri is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. He maintained his excellent reputation last season with his amazing displays in Europe and England.
4- Ruben Dias
Another City star who has been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or is Ruben Dias, who also played an instrumental role to win it all for his club.
5- Andre Onana
Andre Onana enjoyed an impressive 2022-23 season at Inter Milan, securing 19 clean sheets in 41 appearances in all competitions. He nearly won the Champions League with Inter, who lost the final to Manchester City. Onana joined Manchester United in the summer window, replacing David de Gea in goal.
6- Josko Gvardiol
Josko Gvardiol was superb at the 2022 World Cup. The 21-year-old started all seven matches in the tournament as Croatia won bronze in Qatar. His superb displays in the prestigious tournament convinced Manchester City to splash £77 million to sign him this summer.
7- Emiliano Martinez
Emiliano Martinez became the national hero for Argentina after he saw his country through two dramatic penalty shootouts on their way to World Cup success. He ended the tournament with the Golden Glove.
8- Mohamed Salah
Liverpool endured an underwhelming campaign but Mohamed Salah continued his brilliance, registering 30 goals in 51 club games.
9- Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka was named the PFA Young Player of the Year after his goal scoring exploits helped Arsenal mount a serious Premier League title challenge last season.
10- Julian Alvarez
If the Ballon d’Or winner were solely decided by the number of trophies won by a player, then Julian Alvarez would probably have the strongest claim. The 23-year-old won the World Cup, Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup last season.
11- Martin Odegaard
Arsenal have made the return to Europe’s elite competition and they have much to thank Martin Odegaard for their success last season.
12- Bernardo Silva
Bernardo Silva has been a faithful servant of Manchester City since 2017. He was also a key member of their treble winning squad last season.
