Who is leading for Ballon d or 2023? Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland head the shortlist for the men’s 2023 Ballon d’Or, with Spain’s Aitana Bonmati leading the women’s nominations. Messi, 36, has claimed a record seven Ballon d’Or trophies in his illustrious career and is favourite to win another after helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar Can the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi add number eight to his name? Or will Manchester City’s goal machine Erling Haaland win the most prestigious individual football award for the first time? The Argentina captain led his country to victory in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and on the club level, he won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, Haaland secured a historic treble with Manchester City, scoring 52 goals across all competitions in his debut season for the club. With Argentina’s World Cup triumph and Manchester City’s Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup titles, it’s no surprise that the award shortlist is dominated by players from Argentina and Manchester City. Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has been omitted for the first time since 2003. For the Ballon d’Or Feminin, Spain’s Aitana Bonmati stands out as the favourite after a season that saw her leading La Roja to their first-ever World Cup victory and winning the Champions League with FC Barcelona. The winners will be announced at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which will take place on 30 October at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. It promised to be a unique Ballon d’Or battle, with the World Cup taking place in the middle of the 2022-23 campaign, meaning it could be a distant memory by the time the votes were cast in August. There is no doubt, however, that playing a starring role in Qatar boosted some players’ chances of competing for the Golden Ball, even with the winners of domestic and European titles grabbing the late-season attention. The bet365 welcome offer is ready to be claimed now with 365GOAL Who, then, has put themselves in the frame for the biggest individual honour of them now that we finally have all the nominations