With the end of the season fast approaching, players will be looking to impress as they look to earn a nomination for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi is in line to receive a nomination. The forward helped Argentina win the World Cup back in December when they defeated France in the final. The Argentine was also voted as the player of the tournament in Qatar.
Manchester City forward Erling Haaland is another in contention to be nominated. The forward has scored 42 goals in all competitions so far this season. The English side are still in contention to win the league title.
This year’s ceremony is set to take place at the Theatre du Chatelet Paris in October.
Sportsmail breaks down everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
When is the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony?
This year’s ceremony is set to take place Monday, October 16.
With the awards being run by French Football, the ceremony will be taking place at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
The ceremony is expected to get underway at 8pm UK time, although that is subject to change.
How to watch
The official details for the broadcasting of this year’s ceremony is yet to be revealed.
Last year, fans were able to watch the awards on the L’Equipe YouTube channel and website.
With the ceremony taking place in October, expect official confirmation of the broadcasting rights to be released closer to the time.
Who is in contention to be nominated?
With two months left of the season, there is still a lot to play for. The nominees for this year’s trophy are yet to be announced.
Last year, they were announced in August ahead of October’s ceremony.
Lionel Messi is expected to be in the mix. The forward recently scored his 800th career goal in Argentina’s win over Panama.
As well as that, the Argentine helped his country win the World Cup back in December when they defeated France in the final. The PSG forward would score twice in the game.
Throughout his career so far, Messi has won the Ballon d’Or seven times.
Karim Benzema is also in contention. The Frenchman has scored 19 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid so far this season. The Spanish side are second in La Liga and are still in the Champions League. Madrid are set to face Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Kylian Mbappe is also in line to receive a nomination. The forward has scored 31 goals in 31 games for PSG so far this season. PSG currently sit top of Ligue 1 and are seven points clear of second place Marseille.
How does Ballon d’Or voting work?
Traditionally, 100 journalists from FIFA’s top 100 nations select their top five players from a 30-man shortlist that has already been decided.
Journalists rank their five choices and a number of votes are awarded based on those rankings, as seen below.
How is it different from The Best Awards?
The magazine France Football is responsible for the Ballon d’Or – while FIFA takes control of The Best.
Despite the two awards celebrating player performances over the year, there are a few differences between both.
The Ballon d’Or takes into account performances from a player over the course of the calendar year – while The Best judges a player for the season.
Both award ceremonies are held at different times of the year. Traditionally, the Ballon d’Or takes place in December. However, last year’s ceremony took place in October. The Best Awards usually take place in the autumn.
Originally, the world’s biggest footballing governing body FIFA was involved with the Ballon d’Or when they merged with France Football between 2010 and 2015.
However, FIFA opted to part ways to form their new awards ceremony – with the first Best Awards taking place in 2017.
Who won the Ballon d’Or last year?
Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is the current holder of the Ballon d’Or.
The Frenchman clinched football’s most prestigious award ahead of Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne.
Benzema enjoyed an excellent campaign last season – scoring 44 goals in all competitions.
The forward helped his side to win La Liga and the Champions League. The Spanish side defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the final of European football’s biggest competition.
Odds
Lionel Messi to win – 1/4
Erling Haaland to win – 5/1
Kylian Mbappe to win – 11/1
Karim Benzema to win – 18/1
Marcus Rashford to win – 28/1
Odds via Paddy Power and correct at the time of publication.
