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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