Argentina star Lionel Messi and Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland are among the leading contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or Men’s Category Award. Spain’s World Cup star, Aitana Bonmati, leads the nominees announced for the women’s prize.
Messi, who recently left Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami, has been nominated with a chance of winning the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in his remarkable career after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year.
Haaland, who scored 52 goals in 53 games to help Manchester City win the treble of Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup last season, is considered a strong rival for the prize. He also won the UEFA Player of the Year Award for last season.
Other notable nominees in the men’s category include PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Haaland’s City teammate, Kevin De Bruyne. The winner of the Ballon d’Or will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on October 30.
Below is the full list of the nominees
André Onana – Manchester United/Cameroon
Josko Gvardiol – Manchester City/Croatia
Karim Benzema – Al Ittihad
Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich/Germany
Mohamed Salah – Liverpool/Egypt
Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England
Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England
Randal Kolo Muani – Paris Saint-Germain/France
Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City/Belgium
Bernardo Silva – Manchester City/Portugal
Emiliano Martínez – Aston Villa/Argentina
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli/Georgia
Rúben Dias – Manchester City/Portugal
Nicolo Barella – Inter Milan/Italy
Erling Haaland – Manchester City/Norway
Yassine Bounou – Al Hilal/Morocco
Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal/Norway
Julián Álvarez – Manchester City/Argentina
Ilkay Gündogan – Barcelona/Germany
Vinícius Júnior – Real Madrid/Brazil
Lionel Messi – Inter Miami/Argentina
Rodri – Manchester City/Spain
Lautaro Martínez – Inter Milan/Argentina
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid/France
Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona/Poland
Kylian Mbappé – Paris Saint-Germain/France
Kim Min-Jae – Napoli/South Korea
Victor Osimhen – Napoli/Nigeria
Luka Modric – Real Madrid/Croatia
Harry Kane – Bayern Munich/England
