A shortlist of 30 players for the men’s Ballon d’Or awaits at the final ceremony.
Seven-time winner Lionel Messi is a heavy favorite to win the award again after finishing his career in World Cup glory with Argentina in Qatar 2022. Messi last won the 2021 Ballon d’Or and is the all-time best player in the world. leader, his seven gongs overtook Cristiano Ronaldo, who won five times.
Erling Haaland is Messi’s main rival this year, having scored 52 goals in all competitions in his first season at Manchester City, while Pep Guardiola’s side trebled that.
While making the final 30 roster is no small feat, there are only a small handful of players who have a real case to pick up the big prize. Here is the full list of 30 finalists.
| Player | Current Club | National Team |
| Julian Alvarez | Man City | Argentina |
| Nicolo Barella | Inter Milan | Italy |
| Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | England |
| Karim Benzema | Al-Ittihad | France |
| Yassine Bounou | Al-Hilal | Morocco |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Man City | Belgium |
| Ruben Dias | Man City | Portugal |
| Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid | France |
| Ilkay Gündoğan | Barcelona | Germany |
| Josko Gvardiol | Man City | Croatia |
| Erling Haaland | Man City | Norway |
| Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | England |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Napoli | Georgia |
| Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | Poland |
| Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan | Argentina |
| Kylian Mbappé | PSG | France |
| Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | Argentina |
| Kim Min-Jae | Bayern Munich | South Korea |
| Luka Modric | Real Madrid | Croatia |
| Randal Kolo Muani | PSG | France |
| Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| Martin Ødegaard | Arsenal | Norway |
| Andre Onana | Man United | Cameroon |
| Victor Osimhen | Napoli | Nigeria |
| Rodri | Man City | Spain |
| Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | England |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Egypt |
| Bernardo Silva | Man City | Portugal |
| Vinicius Jr. | Real Madrid | Brazil |