The Ballon d'Or season is here and a total of 60 individuals have been listed for the men's and women's top prize.
Now, every year since their takeover in 2021, the French Football Association releases the standard 30-men shortlist for the prestigious award and to be fair, it has always sparked controversies.
The 2023 edition is no different, with the list comprising deserving candidates and a high list of candidates that had a good season but didn't merit being there.
So, we will be looking at each nominee and settling if they earned their listing or not.
FIRST LIST
Despite a tough season for Liverpool, Salah remained the brightest spark, contributing to goals and assists in the league and competitions.
Though his season was plagued with injuries, Big Benz still managed to peg in goals for the team while racking up three trophies in the process.
Guardiola had a fantastic World Cup tournament, where he finished 3rd with Croatia, and Onana had a decent season with Inter both In the League and Champions League.
The only head-scratching decision here is the inclusion of Jamal Musiala, don't get me wrong, I know he is talented and was a standout in the German team during the World Cup but I don't think his performance should include him here.
SECOND LIST
Everyone aside from Kolo Muani and Bellingham deserved to be on this list.
Bellingham was good for England and was fantastic for Dortmund but his team's performance in the league on the final day let him down, Still, they are more deserving candidates.
As for Muani, I disagree! Good in the Bundesliga but also played a role in France's loss to Argentina in the Final.
THIRD LIST
Dias was out for most of the season with injury but played a key role in City's treble win, so maybe he deserves the listing.
Martinez had a solid World Cup campaign, Kvara shone for Napoli, Barella was good for Inter and Haaland, being one of the two strong candidates for the award, was just breaking records everywhere.
Treble, Premier League Golden Boot, UCL Golden Boot, UEFA Men's Player of the Year and so much more.
FOURTH LIST
Each person had a solid campaign, with the only one without a trophy here being Odegaard, but he made up for his performances for Arsenal and was also instrumental, alongside Saka, in their quest for premier league glory.
FIFTH LIST
Just like the previous one, everyone here is deserving.
Messi had a tremendous World Cup tournament, winning the trophy and accolades like the Golden Ball award, which is given to the best player of the tournament.
He also had a decent club performance for PSG and will be competing with Haaland for the award.
Rodri is also a low-key top contender, with his treble win and UEFA Nations League trophy, and also the man of the match for both the UCL Final and Nations League Final, with him finishing as player of the tournament for the latter.
FINAL LIST
Still, no complaints here, as everyone here proved to be the workhorse of their respective teams.
Modric was the heart and soul once again for Croatia in the World Cup, leading them to a 3rd place finish, and was also a general in Real Madrid's midfield.
Kane was the best player in a shaky Tottenham team and possibly, the whole of London, and finished 2nd in the race for the EPL Golden Boot with 30 goals, 6 behind Haaland.
Serie A Best Defender of the Year Kim Min-Jae was the rock of the Napoli defense, while Osimhen was the beast at goal.
Mbappe kept doing his thing, putting in the work with PSG and France.
His performance in the World Cup final was legendary, scoring a hat trick to keep the French dream alive and even scoring his shoot-out penalty but it wasn't enough to win it for his team.
Nevertheless, he won the Golden Boot.
NOTABLE OMISSIONS
A lot of key names come to mind when looking at this list but one of them that stands out is the Omission of Marcus Rashford.
The Englishman played 53 matches for Manchester United, had 41 goal contributions (30 goals and 11 assists,) and was possibly, his national team's best player in the World Cup tournament but yet, for some unknown reason, he didn't make the list.
He also won the Carabao Cup and if anyone doesn't recognize that as an accolade, just remember that the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Kolo Muani appeared on this list based on performance and not team accolades.
Bruno Fernandes, John Stones, Achraf Hakimi, Casemiro, and Neymar Jr. also missed out on the list.
More names like Paulo Dybala, Federico Valverde and Angel Di Maria, and if not for his injury woes, Christopher Nkunku should have made this list.
Believe it or not, each of these players was, one way or the other, the standout for their team and also the focal point.
POSSIBLE NOMINEE POSITIONING
30. Randel Kolo Muani
29. Jamal Musiala
28. Andre Onana
27. Jude Bellingham
26. Mohamed Salah
25. Harry Kane
24. Karim Benzema
23. Martin Odegaard
22. Josko Gvardiol
21. Bukayo Saka
20. Nicolo Barela
19. Robert Lewandowski
18. Yassine Bounou
17. Luka Modric
16. Kim Min-Jae
15. Antoine Griezmann
14. Ruben Dias
13. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
12. Emiliano Martinez
11. Victor Osimhen
10. Lautaro Martinez
9. Bernardo Silva
8. Vinicius Jr.
7. Ilkay Gundogan
6. Kevin De Bruyne
5. Kylian Mbappe
4. Julian Alvarez
3. Rodri
2. Erling Braut Haaland or Lionel Messi
1. Erling Braut Haaland or Lionel Messi
What do you think?
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