The shortlist for the 2023 Balloon d’or will be announced this Wednesday, but who are the likely top 20 nominees, with some of the world’s best footballers having spent the past 12 months vying to succeed 2022 top winner Karim Benzema in lifting the Golden Ball in Paris on October 30.
It promised to be a unique Ballon d’Or battle, with the World Cup taking place in the middle of the 2022-23 campaign, meaning it could be a distant memory by the time the votes were cast in August. There is no doubt, however, that playing a starring role in Qatar boosted some players’ chances of competing for the Golden Ball, even with the winners of domestic and European titles grabbing the late-season attention.
Who, then, has put themselves in the frame for the biggest individual honour of them all as the football fans await the nominations.
Football’s most prestigious prize, Ballon d’Or, brings together the finest and most impressive footballers over the past one year to celebrate their heroics that brought awe, joy and pride to millions of football fans across the world.
Former Real Madrid star, Karim Benzema, reigns as the current winner of the coveted prize and will likely see his dominance ends when the 2023 edition takes place.
