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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Your support makes all the difference.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
Time for the best goalkeeper to step forward and claim their award. And not drop it, obviously.
Ederson, Bounou, Martinez, Courtois or Ter Stegen?
Drogba announces Martinez as the winner! A few cheers as he takes to the stage. Alberto Martinez comes on stage too, Emi’s father, to hand over the award.
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
“French people still think about every day - was it the save of your life?” Drogba asks the stopper. He does begin to respond but boos interrupt him - Drogba has to silence a few in the crowd jeering while Martinez is talking, saying sporting respect must be shown.
That gets a few bits of applause. Honestly, it’s not Uefa you know!
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
Gary Lineker is on stage now to present the Gerd Muller award, the one handed to the year’s biggest goal machine.
“Football has evolved a lot. I personally think it’s better and better, the competition is better and there are so many incredible players who are a credit to the game. I’m proud of young players speaking up about important issues. The game on the field is in good shape,” our Match of the Day face says.
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
Gerd Muller trophy next..no prizes for guessing who top scored for club and country!
Lewandowski in fifth with 36 goals. Messi fourth hit 38. Kane managed 40 to take third.
Mbappe scored a whopping 54, he’s second.
Erling Haaland with a thoroughly ridiculous 56 goals!
“Thanks to Man City for making myself every single day, the staff and Pep. I always want to thank my family and people around me for making me who I am today,” he said. We now get to watch every single one of those strikes in a video montage.
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
Haaland is asked his thoughts on the noble art of plundering goals and leaving defences downhearted.
“If I’m giving advice it’s to stay hungry, especially as a striker. Be ready and be in the moment, stay sharp and want to score, want to have this feeling as I had quite a few times last season. It’s as easy as that - chase this feeling!”
Lineker gives his assessment on the massive Norwegian:
“His movement is so good, his anticipation. Goalscoring is like mathematics. It’s formula not instinct: make runs into space where you think you can score if the ball goes there. It’s the law of probability and he does it better than anyone else at the moment.”
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
Manchester City are given the nod as Club of the Year in the men’s game, somewhat unsurprisingly. They won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
Seven Ballon d’Or nominees are here tonight so they are all up on stage along with some club suits to receive the award.
“We are very proud, we enjoyed a really good season. But we all know this is not the product of one season, it’s more than a decade of hard work,” said Ferran Soriano.
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
On we go with the next rankings for the big awards and another Lioness in the reveal - goalkeeper Mary Earps takes fifth.
7th Popp, Germany
6th Carmona, Spain
5th Earps, England
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
And continuing the same way, the next three for the men. Two from Man City in this group.
7th Alvarez, Argentina
6th Vinicius Jr, Brazil
5th Rodri, Spain
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE - Aitana Bonmati wins Ballon d’Or Feminin
Novak Djokovic is on stage to do the presentation for the Ballon d’Or Feminin and the final four. The tennis maestro reveals he’s a Red Star Belgrade fan...as well as AC Milan. A bit of tennis chatter and he reveals he wants to claim Olympic gold in Paris next year as a big career goal he has left.
Onto the award.
Bonmati, Kerr, Paralluelo and Rolfo are the final four...
Aitana Bonmati wins women’s Ballon d’Or!
Ballon d’Or awards LIVE
Bonmati speaks after receiving her prize:
“I’m very proud to receive the award tonight, it has been a unique year. This is an individual prize but football is a team sport so I would like to extend this to all my teammates at Barcelona and Spain. I wouldn’t have the success without them.”
Joan Laporta is given special note by Bonmati for the support offered to the women’s team, while the Spain star has congratulations for the other nominees.
“Keep living by example and keep fighting for a more peaceful and equal world,” she adds in English.
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