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The Ballon d’Or awards celebrate the best in football all over the world. This year’s ceremony celebrates the 2022-23 season, a period where Lionel Messi has shined with particular brightness, playing in three different teams and winning a World Cup. Scroll down to have a look at what you should know about the awards, hosted this evening in France:
How to watch
The Ballon d’Or awards start at 2pm ET, at the Theatre du Chatelet, in Paris, France. The show can be live streamed on Paramount+.
Who are the nominees?
Many of the leading players are nominated for the men’s award, which honor the best football player of the year across all leagues and countries. Messi is the only player to playing in the MLS to be nominated for the award. The nominees are:
- Julian Alvarez (Argentina/Manchester City)
- Nicolo Barella (Italy/Inter)
- Jude Bellingham (England/Real Madrid)
- Karim Benzema (France/Al-Ittihad)
- Yassine Bounou (Morocco/Al-Hilal)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
- Ruben Dias (Portugal/Manchester City)
- Antoine Griezmann (France/Atletico Madrid)
- Ilkay Gundogan (Germany/FC Barcelona)
- Josko Gvardiol (Croatia/Manchester City)
- Erling Haaland (Norway/Manchester City)
- Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich)
- Kim Min-jae (South Korea/Bayern Munich)
- Randal Kolo Muani (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia/Napoli)
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland/FC Barcelona)
- Emiliano Martinez (Argentina/Aston Villa)
- Lautaro Martinez (Argentina/Inter)
- Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina/Inter Miami)
- Luka Modric (Croatia/Real Madrid)
- Jamal Musiala (Germany/Bayern Munich)
- Martin Odegaard (Norway/Arsenal)
- Andrea Onana (Cameroon/Manchester United)
- Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Napoli)
- Rodri (Spain/Manchester City)
- Bukayo Saka (England/Arsenal)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
- Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City)
- Vinicius Junior (Brazil/Real Madrid)
Who are the nominees for the Ballon d’Or Feminin
The Ballon d’Or also celebrate the best female football players in all of the world. The women that played in the World Cup are expected to take home some gold, including Spanish player Aitana Bonmati.
- Aitana Bonmati (Spain/FC Barcelona)
- Millie Bright (England/Chelsea)
- Linda Caicedo (Colombia/Real Madrid)
- Olga Carmona (Spain/Real Madrid)
- Rachel Daly (England/Aston Villa)
- Debinha (Brazil/Kansas City Current)
- Kadidatou Diani (France/Lyon)
- Mary Earps (England/Manchester United)
- Patricia Guijarro (Spain/FC Barcelona)
- Yui Hasegawa (Japan/Manchester City)
- Amanda Ilestedt (Sweden/Arsenal)
- Sam Kerr (Australia/Chelsea)
- Mapi Leon (Spain/FC Barcelona)
- Katie McCabe (Ireland/Arsenal)
- Hinata Miyazawa( (Japan/MyNavi Sendai)
- Lena Oberdorf (Germany/VfL Wolfsburg)
- Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria/FC Barcelona)
- Ewa Pajor (Poland/VfL Wolfsburg)
- Salma Paralluelo (Spain/FC Barcelona)
- Alexandra Popp (Germany/VfL Wolfsburg)
- Hayley Raso (Australia/Real Madrid)
- Alba Redondo (Spain/Levante)
- Guro Reiten (Norway/Chelsea)
- Wendie Renard (France/Lyon)
- Fridolina Rolfo (Sweden/FC Barcelona)
- Jill Roord (Netherlands/Manchester City)
- Khadija Shaw (Jamaica/Manchester City)
- Sophia Smith (USA/Portland Thorns)
- Georgia Stanway (England/Bayern Munich)
- Daphne van Domselaar (Netherlands/Aston Villa)
What can viewers expect tonight?
There’s no definitive answer but the Ballon d’Or awards tend to go for players that have success with international tournaments. In this case, following Messi’s contributions to Argentina’s World Cup win, he’s the frontrunner in taking the prize home. Another major competitor is Erling Haaland, the 23 year old Norwegian soccer player that plays in Manchester City F.C.