Lionel Messi, the superstar from Argentina, has been honored with the prestigious Ballon d’Or award for the 8th time in 2023. In the early hours of October 31st (Vietnam time), Lionel Messi was officially announced as the winner of the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, marking the 8th time the Argentine superstar has been recognized as the best football player in the world. To win the Ballon d’Or race this year, Messi surpassed Erling Haaland in second place and Kylian Mbappe in third place. Kevin De Bruyne ranked fourth in the race, while Rodri finished fifth.
Of note, the owner of 5 Ballon d’Or trophies, Cristiano Ronaldo, has disappointed fans by not making the top 30 nominations for the award for the first time since 2004. This is understandable as CR7 had a forgettable year with Manchester United and the Portuguese national team. Upon receiving the award, Messi expressed his pride and gratitude to teammates, family, and fans. The superstar born in 1987 also emotionally shared about his illustrious career: “I cannot imagine the career I have had and everything I have achieved, the luck I had was being part of the best football teams in history.”
Messi Wins Ballon d’Or 2023, Aitana Bonmati Crowned Women’s Winner
Aitana Bonmati has been crowned the winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or 2023. The Barcelona superstar is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world and has collected numerous awards with both Barca and the Spanish national team in the past season. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi secured his seventh Ballon d’Or victory, cementing his place as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Aitana Bonmati is crowned the winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or 2023, according to Getty Images. Rodrigo secures a spot in the top 5 after being the backbone of Manchester City’s treble win. Vinicius Jr also deserves his place in the top 6 for his standout performances at Real Madrid in the past season. Meanwhile, Julian Alvarez claims the 7th spot for his impressive year at Man City. Manchester City proves to be the best club of the year as they receive the award for the second consecutive time, and it’s no surprise as they made history with their treble win in the previous season.
Man City has been named the club of the year, according to France Football. Erling Haaland has won the Gerd Muller award for being the most outstanding goalscorer of the year after scoring a total of 56 goals in the past season with Man City. This officially makes him the best striker of the year for 2023.
Haaland clinches Gerd Muller award in 2023. Photo: France Football
EMILIANO MARTINEZ WINS THE YACHINE TROPHY
The goalkeeper of Aston Villa and the Argentine national team has been named the best goalkeeper of the year 2023. He earned this title after putting on a superb performance at the 2022 World Cup.
Emiliano Martinez wins Yachine Trophy. Photo: France Football
FC Barcelona named Women’s Club of the Year
Barcelona’s women’s team has been honored as the Club of the Year after sweeping all the prestigious titles in domestic and European competitions. Six players from their star-studded lineup were nominated for the Ballon d’Or award.
Joan Laporta, on behalf of the club, accepted the award. In the women’s Ballon d’Or ranking, Rachel Daly from Aston Villa came in at 10th place, while Linda Caicedo and Patricia Guijarro from Barcelona took 9th and 8th place respectively. Vinicius Jr won the Socrates award, which recognizes players who have overcome difficult circumstances and work towards creating a fairer and better world in football. Over the past year, Vinicius has been actively fighting against racial discrimination and raising funds for players in need.
Vinicius wins Socrates 2023. Photo: France Football
Victor Osimhen takes the 8th spot
Napoli’s top striker ranks 8th after helping the club from Naples win their first Serie A championship in 33 years.
Bernardo Silva makes it to the 9th spot
The Man City midfielder stands at the 9th position after an outstanding year playing for the team.
Luka Modric secures the 10th spot
Real Madrid’s midfielder holds the 10th position in the Ballon d’Or 2023 awards.
Jude Bellingham wins Kopa Trophy 2023
The young prodigy from Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham, officially wins the Kopa Trophy 2023 – the award given to the world’s best player under 21.
Bellingham Takes Home Kopa Trophy. Image: France Football
Louis Vuitton to be the Official Partner of Ballon d’Or 2023
Luxury fashion brand, Louis Vuitton, has been announced as the official partner of the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony! The high-end company will be designing the coveted trophy cases for this year’s Golden Ball award.
Find out more about the trophy cases here.
Louis Vuitton has designed and crafted a special case for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award. In attendance at the event was the football player many consider to be the greatest of all time and the number one candidate for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, Messi, who was accompanied by his family. The Argentine superstar looked stylish in a black plaid suit.
Messi attends Ballon d’Or 2023 award ceremony. Photo: GETTY
France’s national team coach was present
Didier Deschamps, the coach of France’s national team, was beaming at the Ballon d’Or 2023 award ceremony.
The focus of the award ceremony is on the Man City striker who looks stylish and handsome with his girlfriend Isabel Johansen by his side. The coach of the French national team, Didier Deschamps, was also present at the event.
Erling Haaland, who is a top contender for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, attended a ceremony with his teammates at Man City. He was accompanied by his girlfriend Isabel Johansen.
Haaland was spotted at the ceremony. Photo: GETTY
Salah slips out of top 10
Liverpool’s leading goal scorer, Mohamed Salah, has slipped out of the top 10 this year, finishing at the 11th position. This result is understandable as The Kop had a poor season while the Egyptian national team failed to secure a spot in the 2022 World Cup.
In the recent ranking by France Football, Mo Salah secured the 11th position while Barcelona’s ace striker Robert Lewandowski made it to the 12th spot. Despite his exceptional season with Blaugrana, Lewandowski missed out on the top 10 list. Nevertheless, he remains a formidable goal-scoring machine in the world of football.
Lewandowski takes 12th place in the rankings according to France Football, while Yassine Bounou comes in at 13th. Bounou, a Moroccan goalkeeper, secured his spot after making it to the World Cup 2022 semi-finals and winning the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla.
Yassine Bounou bags the 12th spot in the ranking, while Ilkay Gundogan is placed at 14th. The former captain of Man City, who made history with a treble last season, stands at 14th place.
Gundogan is ranked 14th and Emiliano Martinez is ranked 15th by France Football. Martinez had an unforgettable year, playing the hero role in helping Argentina win the World Cup 2022 championship.
Emiliano Martinez ranks 15th, according to France Football. It’s a bit disappointing for Karim Benzema, who is positioned at number 16 with Al-Ittihad. The highest ranking player from Georgia since Georgi Kinkladze in 1996 is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Napoli, who comes in at number 17. This is clearly a significant drop for the previous Ballon d’Or winner.
The Top 16 QBV for 2023 have been revealed in a recent article by France Football, with Jude Bellingham securing the 18th position on the list. Fans are eagerly anticipating whether or not Bellingham will take home the Kopa Trophy tonight.
Jude Bellingham is currently ranked 18th, according to France Football’s list. Meanwhile, Harry Kane finished in 19th place. The top scorer for both the England national team and Bayern Munich ends up in the 19th position.
Kane ranks 19th. Photo: France Football
Lautaro Martinez, the captain of Inter Milan, holds the 20th position.
Despite a nightmare tournament at a personal level in Qatar, Lautaro, a World Cup champion, has helped Inter win two titles and reach the Champions League final last season. He is also in impressive form this season.
Lautaro Martinez is ranked 20th according to France Football’s latest update on the top 25 football players. Bukayo Saka secured the 24th spot after impressing with his performance at Arsenal over the past year. On the other hand, Andre Onana had an outstanding year playing for Inter Milan and now holds the 24th position. In addition, Kim Min-Jae, who played exceptionally well for Napoli last season, is ranked 22nd while Antoine Griezman, who showcased his skills for France during the 2022 World Cup, comes in at number 21.
The Top 21 Quarterbacks to Watch in 2023. Photo: France Football
Ranking 27-26
Coming in at number 27 is midfielder Nico Barella from Inter Milan, with Croydon-born Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala taking the 26th spot. Meanwhile, Josko Gvardiol of Man City sits at number 25 on the list.
The Top 30 QBVs for 2023 have been revealed, with Ruben Dias from Manchester City taking the 30th spot! Martin Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal, and French striker Randal Kolo Muani both come in at 28th place on the shortened list.