The most-awaited award ceremony of the 2023 Ballon d’Or, will get underway on Monday in Paris, France.
Vincent Garcia, the chief editor of France Football, has
revealed why Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo was not nominated for the 2023
Ballon d’Or award.
“Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence was not a topic of discussion within the committee,” Garcia told (via Sports Brief).
“He did not shine in the World Cup and played in a tournament with less visibility, yet he is still a great player.”
The 67th annual ceremony of the Ballon d’Or will take place
at the Theatre du Chatelet on Monday evening in France.
The live streaming of the 2023 Ballon d’Or will be available
on France Football’s official website and will start at 6pm, Nigerian time.
Former Real Madrid striker, Karim Benzema won the last
edition of the prestigious award after beating the likes of Sadio Mane and
Kevin de Bruyne.
However, there are three strong contenders – Inter Miami’s
Lionel Messi, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian
Mbappe for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Messi won the FIFA World Cup last year and also the Best
Player award for the tournament. He also won the French Ligue title with PSG
before leaving the club to join Inter Miami in the summer.
Haaland, meanwhile, won the Champions League, FA Cup and the
Premier League title with Man City. He also scored a record 52 goals in all
competitions last season.
Mbappe, on his part, led France to a second finish at the World Cup after they lost to Argentina in the final. He won the Golden Boot for the top scorer in the competition and also won the French Ligue 1 title with PSG.
Other contenders are André Onana, Josko Gvardiol, Karim
Benzema, Jamal Musiala, Mohamed Salah, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Randal
Kolo Muani, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Emiliano Martínez and Khvicha
Kvaratskhelia.
The remaining includes Rúben Dias, Nicolo Barella, Yassine Bounou, Martin Ødegaard, Julián Álvarez, Ilkay Gündogan, Vinícius Júnior, Rodri, Lautaro Martínez, Antoine Griezmann, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappé, Kim Min-jae, Victor Osimhen, Luka Modric and Harry Kane.