Ballon d’Or Awards LIVE: Latest updates as Lionel Messi crowned and Aitana Bonmati wins Feminin award
The 2023 Ballon d’Or winner will be revealed in Paris tonight with Aitana Bonmati favourite for the Feminin award
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Lionel Messi is celebrating after being named Ballon d’Or winner for the eighth time, extending his own record for being named the planet’s best player.
Now with Inter Miami in MLS, the 36-year-old had been seen as overwhelming favourite to claim another golden prize following Argentina’s World Cup win in Qatar at the end of last year.
Aitana Bonmati succeeded Alexia Putellas as winner of the women’s award, the Ballon d’Or Feminin. The midfielder starred for Spain during the Women’s World Cup win, as well as playing a key part in Barcelona’s incredible 2022/23 season which included a Champions League final comeback win. Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and others also picked up awards on the night.
Follow along for the latest reaction from the Ballon d’Or awards in Paris with our liveblog below:
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
We’re about 15 minutes from the ceremony due to be starting, with Didier Drogba the master presenter this evening.
Mbappe is in the house...so too the trophy itself. Would he be a cert to be lifting it if he had been on the winning team in the World Cup final ten months ago?
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
All three English players revealed there have had great starts to 2023/24 season too, in three different leagues now of course: Kane in Germany, Bellingham in Spain and Saka remaining in the Premier League.
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
L’Equipe are showing the clips of the 11th to 15th players now - Emi Martinez’s highlights reel from the World Cup was pretty special, particularly that final save from Randal Kolo Muani. So many sliding doors moments in that match!
And yet he’s not the top ranked goalkeeper, with Yassine Bounou, of Morocco and Sevilla last season, pipping him in 13th.
A few Lewandowski goals, some Gundogan assists and then Mohamed Salah’s trickery, finishing and celebrations.
That’s your handful on the cusp of the top ten - soon we’ll be into the chosen few for the main event.
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
So what else do we get for our money tonight? Not just the Ballon d’Or and Feminin, but also the Kopa and Yashin trophies we’ve mentioned previously. PLUS! The following three:
- Gerd Muller Trophy, for the striker to score the most goals for club and country
- Socrates Award, which recognises humanitarian work
- Club of the year award
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE - Jude Bellingham wins Kopa Trophy
Didier Drogba and journalist Sandy Heribert are on stage and we’re straight on with it with the first award, the Kopa Trophy.
And it goes to Jude Bellingham! That was fast. He has enjoyed a brilliant start with Real Madrid but this award is for last season, his work with Dortmund and England at the World Cup. Jamal Musiala finishes runner-up!
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
Luka Modrid comes in at No.10! We’re heading along at a clip. Good stuff. Straight into the Socrates award now.
This was only brought in last year, with Sadio Mane the winner for his humanitarian work.
Prince Albert II of Monaco is here to present the award and he hands it over to Vinicius Jr!
The Real Madrid man was appointed head of Fifa’s anti-racism player committee earlier this year. He has also been involved with work with underprivileged youngsters in his home nation.
Didier Drogba offers Vini Jr the opportunity to send a “strong message” on racism to the football world.
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
The full Kopa Trophy list and Bellingham’s words on receiving the trophy.
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
On we go with the listing in the Ballon d’Or Feminin, the first three inside the top ten being named...including one of the Lionesses.
10th: Rachel Daly - England
9th: Linda Caicedo - Colombia
8th: Patricia Guijarro - Spain
And for the men, the same:
10th: Luka Modric - Croatia
9th: Bernardo Silva - Portugal
8th: Victor Osimhen - Nigeria
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
Club president Joan Laporta recieves the award for Club of the Year, for the achievements of the women’s team across 2022/23.
FCB Femeni won the Liga F in Spain, the Supercopa de Espana and the Champions League. In league play they lost only once across 30 matches, winning a wild 28 of them.
It’s their Champions League final comeback which stands out though, 2-0 down after 37 minutes to Wolfsburg before before roaring back to win 3-2.
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
A full run-down of the Feminin nominees from 30 through to the top ten...well, we know to eighth already so here you go.
- 8 Guijarro, Spain
- 9 Caicedo, Colombia
- 10 Daly, England
- 11 Bright, England
- 12 Miyazawa, Japan
- 13 Oberdorf, Germany
- 14 Diani, France
- 15 Ilestedt, Sweden
- 16 Leon, Spain
- 17 Raso, Australia
- 18 Pajor, Poland
- 19 Reiten, Norway
- 20 Oshoala, Nigeria
- 21 Redondo, Spain
- 22 McCabe, Ireland
- 23 Stanway, England
- 24 Shaw, Jamaica
- 25 Smith, USA
- 26 Renard, France
- 27 Hasegawa, Japan
- 28 Debinha, Brazil
- 29 Roord, Netherlands
- 30 Van Domselaar, Netherland
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