VOV.VN – France Football magazine has announced the shortlist of nominees for the 2023 Golden Ball. Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as well as famous Brazilian player Neymar are not named. Meanwhile, Messi and Haaland are the most valuable candidates.
In the list of 30 shortlisted candidates announced by France Football magazine, there are notable names such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane. Besides, some players were honored for the first time such as Bukayo Saka, Jamal Musiala, Julian Alvarez.
Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as well as famous player from Brazil – Neymar are not on this list. For the first time since 2005, the Portuguese player did not make the shortlist for the Golden Ball. This is understandable when in the period from August 2022 to July 2023, Ronaldo performed poorly in top tournaments and moved to Saudi Arabia to play football. Meanwhile, Neymar did not leave much of an impression before going to Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) this summer.
In contrast to Ronaldo and Neymar, Messi had a successful season at PSG (on a personal level) and shined brightly for Argentina at the 2022 World Cup. Erling Haaland is also considered capable of winning the year. Now after a successful first season with Man City, with a historic “treble” and a series of individual awards, including two Premier League top scorer awards and the European Cup.
In the women’s category, it is not surprising that Spain contributes many faces to the list of 30 candidates. Among them are players who have just won the World Cup such as Redondo, Carmona, Paralluelo and Bonmati.
The 2023 Golden Ball Awards ceremony will be held on October 30.
