Not long ago, Paris Saint-Germain took pride in having Lionel Messi on their squad. But the Argentine star is no longer in France, so the club doesn’t hesitate to call Kylian Mbappe the best soccer player on Earth.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, in fact, believes the French striker should win the 2023 Ballon d’Or. “We have the best player in the world and for me, he deserves the Ballon d’Or,” he told Le Parisien.
Mbappe is on the 30-man shortlist along with Messi, who is a strong candidate to take home his eighth award. Erling Haaland, who won the treble with Manchester City last season, is also in contention.
Who are the 30 nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or?
- Josko Gvardiol (Leipzig / Manchester City)
- Andre Onana (Inter Milan / Manchester United)
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid / Al-Ittihad)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
- Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
- Randal Kolo Muani (Frankfurt / PSG)
- Jude Bellingham (Dortmund / Real Madrid)
- Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
- Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
- Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)
- Yassine Bounou (Sevilla / Al-Hilal)
- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
- Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
- Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
- Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
- Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
- Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
- Kim Min-Jae (Napoli / Bayern Munich)
- Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
- Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
- Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
- Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City / Barcelona)
- Rodri (Manchester City)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
- Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
- Harry Kane (Tottenham / Bayern Munich)
- Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- Lionel Messi (PSG / Inter Miami)
When is the 2023 Ballon d’Or taking place?
The 2023 Ballon d’Or gala will take place on Monday, October 30 at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France.