Who will win the 2023 Men's Ballon d'Or?
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00 It's that time of year again where football crowns its best player.
00:04 Two of the world's great goal scorers are the main contenders,
00:07 but there are other names in the mix.
00:09 So who will lift the Ballon d'Or in 2023?
00:12 Hello there and welcome to Football Now from the Lusail Stadium here in Qatar.
00:20 Now, the Ballon d'Or is the game's most prestigious individual award
00:24 and the ceremony for the men's and women's categories
00:26 takes place in Paris this year on October 30th.
00:29 We'll be previewing the Ballon d'Or Femina next week,
00:32 but for now we're focusing on who will be crowned the best men's player in the world in 2023.
00:37 Before we take a look at those on the shortlist,
00:39 let's remind ourselves exactly what the award is
00:41 and why it means so much to the players to be nominated.
00:44 Well, the Ballon d'Or is essentially just a vote
00:47 and it's based upon a French football magazine
00:53 that turned their brand into a famous award.
00:58 It's about being able to claim to be the best footballer of the year.
01:04 So of course there's prestige,
01:06 but the manner of the vote means that you're gaining an accolade from your peers
01:11 and because of that, it's very sought after from footballers,
01:15 not just in terms of winning it, but where you are ranked
01:18 because this isn't only about handing over one trophy,
01:21 it's also about ranking male and female footballers
01:25 and as a result, winning it is highly prestigious.
01:29 To be nominated for this award is seen as one of football's greatest honours
01:33 and one man who knows exactly what that feels like
01:35 is ex-Valencia, Lazio and Middlesbrough midfielder Gaisca Mendieta,
01:39 who placed eighth in the year 2000.
01:42 It means that what you do is being recognised.
01:45 One of the reasons why you play football,
01:47 one of course it was to win trophies, to leave a legacy wherever you go.
01:51 I always wanted to have an impact and to leave a legacy
01:55 so in the history of the club you will always be remembered.
01:58 And of course you have a recognition of the football industry,
02:01 the football world and individual trophies.
02:04 OK, it's individual, but still it's nice to be recognised
02:07 for what you've been doing on the pitch and being on the baron d'Or is kind of,
02:11 especially in the top ten, I don't know, it depends on the list,
02:15 it depends on your ambitions, but in my head I always wanted to be
02:18 amongst the best midfielders in the world
02:21 and being on that list, especially so high,
02:24 it means that what you're doing is being recognised.
02:28 Yes, some of the sport's greatest players have lifted the trophy in the past,
02:32 the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane and Marco Van Basten,
02:36 but to name a few.
02:38 But 2023 has some huge names on the list too,
02:40 so let's take a look at some of the favourites.
02:43 30 players from 17 different clubs and 17 nationalities
02:47 are on the shortlist, including last year's winner Karim Benzema,
02:50 who moved from Real Madrid to Saudi Arabia inside Al Etihad in the summer.
02:54 Manchester City have the most candidates after winning the English treble,
02:57 with seven players on the list, including Erling Haaland,
03:00 Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Elkay Gundogan, who has since left for Barcelona.
03:05 City's Julian Alvarez is also one of Argentina's World Cup winning squad representatives,
03:10 along with Emi Martinez and Lautaro Martinez, and of course Lionel Messi.
03:16 England's Jude Bellingham is the youngest player on the list at just over 20 years old,
03:21 and Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick in the World Cup final will also put him in firm contention.
03:26 And a shout-out too to Napoli duo Kovic, Kavaradze, Skelia and Viktor Osman,
03:30 who took Serie A by storm last season,
03:32 as they helped guide Gli Azuri to a first Scudetto in over 30 years.
03:37 Yes, it's a list filled with talent everywhere you look,
03:42 however there are two clear favourites.
03:44 Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Lionel Messi of Inter Miami.
03:48 Messi led his side, Argentina, to glory on this very pitch 10 months ago,
03:52 winning their first World Cup for 36 years.
03:55 And as for Haaland, he's had a quite incredible domestic season,
03:58 lifting the English Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup.
04:02 There can, however, only be one winner.
04:05 Erling Haaland scored 52 goals in his debut season.
04:13 For Manchester City in only 53 games, but Lionel Messi won the World Cup
04:19 and even now has been on fire since he's moved to Inter Miami.
04:23 So sentimentalists will want Messi to win it again,
04:27 but Erling Haaland winning it would signal the start of almost a new era.
04:32 And in the same way that Messi's won multiple Ballon d'Ors,
04:35 could Haaland go on to do the same thing?
04:38 So either way we'll get a story if one or the other of those are successful.
04:44 Well, the Cerenny in Paris later this month will honour more than just the Ballon d'Or winner.
04:50 Also included is the Coppa Trophy,
04:52 which will recognise the best player in the world under the age of 21.
04:55 It is another shortlist packed with absolute talent,
04:58 but one man leads the way, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.
05:02 After a stellar season with Borussia Dortmund in England,
05:05 he got his big money move to the Bernabeu earlier this summer
05:08 and he is fast-tracking his way to becoming one of the most iconic names in football.
05:12 The credit should go down to Jude Bellingham himself,
05:15 because to take a career step to go to Real Madrid, it's a huge decision.
05:20 There was everybody linking him to City, Liverpool,
05:23 and that was sort of, you know, as an English player,
05:25 that's what you're really drilled into doing, it's right to come to England.
05:28 But to take that step to go to Real and also perform with that number five shirt on,
05:32 it's pretty insane.
05:34 I mean, I think going into next year, I think it's going to be interesting,
05:37 especially with, you know, the likes of Liverpool and stuff sniffing around.
05:40 I wonder if he's going to just stay there and try and build a bit of a superstar name
05:43 or whether he'll ever come over to England, it would be interesting.
05:46 Yeah, Messi and Haaland rightly lead the way for this year's Ballon d'Or nominations then,
05:49 but don't rule out any of that 30-man shortlist following an incredible 12 months in the game.
05:54 That is all we have time for on this week's show.
05:56 Do let us know your thoughts at home using the hashtag #FootballNowBallonD'Or
05:59 and we'll see you at the same time next week. Bye for now.
06:02 [MUSIC]
06:05 (upbeat music)