Sports
Ballon d’Or 2023: When Nominees Will Be Announced, Ceremony Date, Favourites To Win

Football’s most prestigious prize, Ballon d’Or, brings together the finest and most impressive footballers over the past one year to celebrate their heroics that brought awe, joy and pride to millions of football fans across the world.
Former Real Madrid star, Karim Benzema reigns as the current winner of the coveted prize and will likely see his dominance ends when the 2023 edition takes place.
Since the Frenchman won in 2022, epic football events have taken place from Lionel Messi leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar, to Erling Haaland proving unstoppable by defenders in Europe as he guided Manchester City to their first ever European glory in the UEFA Champions League, not to forget Aitana Bonmati trailblazing performance pivotal to Spain being crowned world champions at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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It promises to be a fierce contest for the highly coveted award as fans bide their time to find out what the nomination list will comprise of and who the eventual winners will be.
WHEN WILL THE BALLON D’OR 2023 NOMINEES BE ANNOUNCED?
The nominees list for the men’s Ballon d’Or, women’s Ballon d’Or, Yashin Trophy and Kopa Trophy will be announced on Wednesday, September 6, 2023.
A 30-man shortlist is expected for the men’s Ballon d’Or, 20 players for the women’s list and 10 for the Yashin and Kopa awards – given to the best goalkeeper and Under-21 player, respectively.
WHEN IS THE BALLON D’OR 2023 CEREMONY?
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 30.
The winners of the Ballon d’Or 2023 will be announced on this day.
WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES FOR THE MEN’S BALLON D’OR 2023?
Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are the top two favourites to scoop the men’s award following their heroics with Argentina and Manchester City respectively.
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Vinicius Junior, Kevin De Bruyne, Kylian Mbappe and Rodri are other players also expected to feature prominently in the list.
Barcelona and Spain star Bonmati who was instrumental to the Spanish women’s national team glory at the FIFA Women’s World Cup is highly tipped to win the prize her teammate, Alexia Putellas won last year.
With a phenomenal performance at the tournament, playing in every game and serving as a cornerstone of coach Jorge Vilda’s side, Bonmati is a strong contender to succeed Putellas.
Chelsea’s Sam Kerr is yet another likely winner having racked up 29 goals for Chelsea last season as they won a domestic double before featuring for the Matildas at the World Cup.
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Sports
EPL: Mikel Obi Reveals Why Chelsea Failed To Beat Arsenal in 1-1 Draw

Former Super Eagles midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has claimed Chelsea failed to defeat Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, because of an early red card to Moises Caicedo.
The two London rivals played out a pulsating 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute following a VAR check.
READ ALSO:EPL: Why Arsenal Could Win The Title This Season – Guardiola
But it was Chelsea who took the lead after the break, thanks to Trevor Chalobah’s header.
But the Gunners equalized through Mikel Merino.
So far this season, Chelsea have received seven red cards in 20 games across all competitions this season.
READ ALSO:EPL: Alan Smith Names Only Two Clubs To Compete For Title
“That’s four red cards this season; it’s not good enough. I’ve spoken about it; the manager needs to talk with the players, because it’s costing us games as well,” Mikel Obi said on his podcast.
“If you look at that game, if we finished with eleven men, I think we could’ve won. Maybe not easily, but comfortably, we could’ve secured a win.”
Sports
EPL: Slot Reveals When Salah Will Leave For AFCON

Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, has revealed that Mohamed Salah was “not happy” to be dropped for their 2-0 win at West Ham on Sunday.
Salah was named on the bench at the London Stadium for the Premier League fixture.
Slot took the bold decision, as he looked to arrest a poor run of form, that saw the Reds lose nine of 12 matches.
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Salah was not summoned from the bench for the entire 90 minutes, as goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo sealed victory.
“It was a normal reaction for a player who is good enough to play for us,” Slot said.
“I say that mildly as he’s been so outstanding for this club and will be in the future. He wasn’t happy he wasn’t starting but he wasn’t the only one.”
READ ALSO:EPL: Man Utd Suffer Fresh Injury Blow Ahead Of Everton Clash
Salah could yet return to the starting line-up as Liverpool host Sunderland in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The 33-year-old will remain available for the next four matches, before he leaves to join Egypt’s squad for the African Cup of Nations.
“It’s 15 December,” Slot confirmed.
“But always in these situations there is the player and the national team involved and there are always talks about what is best for all three of us.”
Sports
Davido Reacts As Gov Adeleke Dumps PDP

Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has reacted to the shock resignation of his uncle, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The singer kept it short but loaded, posting “Jeje… ” widely interpreted as a subtle message of calmness, quiet movement, or strategic withdrawal as the political storm around the governor intensifies.
Governor Adeleke’s resignation, though only discovered on Monday night was actually tendered on 4 November 2025, ahead of the party’s national convention in Ibadan. His aide, Olawale Rasheed, leaked the letter online, confirming the governor had walked away from the troubled party weeks ago.
READ ALSO:Gov Adeleke Resigns From PDP
In the letter addressed to his Ward 2 chairman in Ede North, Adeleke cited the unresolved crisis at the PDP national level as the reason for quitting. He appreciated the party for backing his rise as senator and later governor.
The revelation has thrown today’s scheduled Osun 2026 governorship primary into confusion. While the state chapter announced a postponement due to factional firestorms, the National Working Committee insists the primary must hold — even though Adeleke remains the only aspirant who bought the form.
There is growing speculation that the governor is now eyeing a second term under the Accord Party, which several of his aides are rumoured to have already infiltrated and taken over in Osun.
His earlier attempt to defect to the APC reportedly hit a brick wall, with party leaders rejecting his move.
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