FULL LIST: Haaland, Osimhen, Saka Make Ballon d’Or Nominees

Argentine football star, Lionel Messi, Napoli and Nigeria’s forward, Victor Osimhen, Arsenal star, Bukayo Saka and Manchester City, Erling Haaland, all make the 2023 Ballon d’Or nominee list.

Ballon d’Or is an annual football award presented to players by French news magazine France Football since 1956.

Messi’s nomination comes a year after he was omitted from the shortlist. Should he win the men’s category Ballon d’Or this year, it would mark his eighth time winning the award – the second most was Cristiano Ronaldo with five. In February, Messi also won the Best FIFA Men’s Player award for a second time.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony slated for the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 30.

Messi led Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup in December – the only major trophy that had eluded him in his 21-year career – finally claiming the trophy at his fifth attempt.

At club level, Messi had a mixed year. He struggled at Paris Saint-Germain as the French side were dumped out of the Champions League at the round-of-16 stage for a second consecutive season, although he did help the side lift an 11th Ligue 1 title.

Napoli sensational striker, Osimhen becomes the first Nigerian to be nominated for the prestigious prize since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.

The Napoli star scored 26 Serie A goals last season to guide the Partenopei to the Scudetto for the first time in more than three decades.

Meanwhile, Erling Haaland was also nominated and could provide Messi’s strongest competition for the award.

The Norwegian striker scored 52 goals in 53 games in all competitions as Manchester City clinched the Premier League, FA Cup, and the Champions League titles.

The 23-year-old broke the Premier League’s single-season scoring record with 36 goals in his debut campaign in England.

The striker also won a number of individual awards for his stunning performances, including PFA Player of the Year, Premier League’s Player of the Season and Football Writers’ Association’s Men’s Player of the Year.

Unsurprisingly, players from Manchester City and Argentina dominate this year’s list of nominees. Seven players who helped City win the treble last season, including Haaland, made the shortlist, while there are four Argentine players, including Messi, who were part of their country’s third World Cup triumph.

Below is the full list of men’s Ballon d’Or 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