Argentinian Lionel Messi, Norwegian Erling Haaland, and French Kylian Mbappe are among the leading candidates for the Ballon d'Or for Best Player in the World, awarded annually by the French magazine "France Football," according to the list published on Wednesday. Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time award winner, is absent from the nominees' list after spending the second half of last season with Saudi club Al Nassr following his separation from Manchester United.
Messi, who left Paris Saint-Germain this summer to join Major League Soccer's Inter Miami, has the chance to succeed Frenchman Karim Benzema and extend his record by winning the prestigious award for the eighth time in his legendary career, which recently culminated in his long-awaited victory of the World Cup with Argentina at the end of last year.
Haaland seems to be the front-runner in the race against the 36-year-old, with the winner set to be announced on October 30 during a ceremony in Paris. Haaland excelled last season, leading Manchester City to a treble of the league, cup, and UEFA Champions League, scoring 52 goals in 53 matches across all competitions. The former Borussia Dortmund player was rewarded last week with the UEFA award for Best Player in Europe.
The list of thirty nominees also includes Messi's former teammate at PSG, Kylian Mbappe, who led France to the World Cup final and was awarded the top scorer title. Additionally, Manchester City teammate Kevin De Bruyne is nominated, as well as Benzema, who left Real Madrid this summer after spending 14 years at the club to join Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. The list also features emerging young talents like Englishman Jude Bellingham, who has impressed at the start of the season with his new club Real Madrid, his compatriot Bukayo Saka from Arsenal, new PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani, and Bayern Munich winger Jamal Musiala.
Among the women, Aitana Bonmati appears to be the favorite to win the award after her role in leading the Spanish national team to their first World Cup victory last month in Sydney against the European champion England in the finals. The 25-year-old, who won the UEFA award for Best Player in Europe last week, also helped her team Barcelona secure the UEFA Women's Champions League title, boosting her chances of succeeding her Barcelona and national team teammate Alexia Putellas, who won the Ballon d'Or in the past two years.
Putellas is not on the nominee list due to her long absence from Barcelona after suffering a torn ACL, which kept her out of action for nine months. Bonmati competes with three of her teammates from the World Cup-winning squad: Olga Carmona, who scored the only goal in the final against England, Salma Paralluelo, and Alba Redondo, along with her Barcelona teammates Patricia Guijarro and Mapi León, who did not participate in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as a protest against the Spanish Football Federation and national team coach Jorge Vilda. The list of thirty nominees also includes Australian star Sam Kerr and England goalkeeper Mary Earps.
