Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland stand out as strong contenders for this year’s prestigious Ballon d’Or award, while the women’s category features Spain’s World Cup sensation, Aitana Bonmati, leading the list of nominees announced on Wednesday.
Messi, who recently made a move from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami, has a significant chance to secure his eighth Ballon d’Or win in a remarkable career, especially after leading Argentina to World Cup triumph in Qatar last year.
Haaland emerges as a formidable rival for the award, having netted an impressive 52 goals in 53 games, contributing significantly to Manchester City’s historic treble victory in the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup last season.
He also claimed the UEFA Player of the Year Award just last week.
Among the 30 nominees for the award, we also find PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Haaland’s Manchester City teammate, Kevin De Bruyne. The winner of this prestigious accolade will be revealed at a ceremony in Paris scheduled for October 30.
For a comprehensive list of the nominees:
– André Onana – Manchester United/Cameroon
– Josko Gvardiol – Manchester City/Croatia
– Karim Benzema – Al Ittihad
– Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich/Germany
– Mohamed Salah – Liverpool/Egypt
– Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England
– Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England
– Randal Kolo Muani – Paris Saint-Germain/France
– Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City/Belgium
– Bernardo Silva – Manchester City/Portugal
– Emiliano Martínez – Aston Villa/Argentina
– Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli/Georgia
– Rúben Dias – Manchester City/Portugal
– Nicolo Barella – Inter Milan/Italy
– Erling Haaland – Manchester City/Norway
– Yassine Bounou – Al Hilal/Morocco
– Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal/Norway
– Julián Álvarez – Manchester City/Argentina
– Ilkay Gündogan – Barcelona/Germany
– Vinícius Júnior – Real Madrid/Brazil
– Lionel Messi – Inter Miami/Argentina
– Rodri – Manchester City/Spain
– Lautaro Martínez – Inter Milan/Argentina
– Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid/France
– Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona/Poland
– Kylian Mbappé – Paris Saint-Germain/France
– Kim Min-Jae – Napoli/South Korea
– Victor Osimhen – Napoli/Nigeria
– Luka Modric – Real Madrid/Croatia
– Harry Kane – Bayern Munich/England
