Agency – The nominations for the 2023 Ballon d’Or have been announced. The nominations have been announced including 30 players who have consistently performed well in the last season.
Although there are 30 players on nomination, the competition for the Ballon d’Or title will be mainly between Argentine star Lionel Messi and Norwegian young star Erling Haaland. Messi, who played an important role in helping Argentina win the World Cup, and Haaland, who won the treble with City, are almost certain to win the Ballon d’Or.
If Messi is able to win the Ballon d’Or defeating Haaland, Messi will win the eighth Ballon d’Or of his career. Messi, who joined the American club Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) just some time ago, can become the first player to win the Ballon d’Or outside of the European League.
So far, no player from a league outside of Europe has ever won the Ballon d’Or. Following his nomination, Messi became the first Major League Soccer player since David Beckham to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
Beckham was nominated for the Ballon d’Or after joining LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007. But then Real’s Brazilian star Kaka won the Ballon d’Or.
