Ligue 1’s 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees

France Football magazine has revealed their 30-players shortlist for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are the leading contenders to win the prestigious award. 

Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar, with the 36-year-old scoring seven goals and registering three assists in seven appearances for the national side. 

Haaland was unstoppable last season as he scored 52 goals over the course of last season. He was a key player in helping Manchester City complete a historic treble. 

However, Cristiano Ronaldo was a shock omission from the shortlist, with the Portuguese enduring an underwhelming start at Manchester United before moving to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr. 

Below we look at the two Ligue 1 players who have been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. 

1- Kylian Mbappe 

Kylian Mbappe was at the top of his game during the 2022 World Cup. He scored a brilliant hat-trick in the final against Argentina, but his efforts ultimately came up short as they lost the penalty shootouts. 

Mbappe ended the tournament with eight goals and won the Golden Boot award. He also posted impressive numbers for Paris Saint-Germain, netting 41 goals in 43 total appearances and helping PSG seal the Ligue 1 title. 

However, he looks unlikely to win the Ballon d’Or because he failed to win the Champions League with PSG last season. 

2- Randal Kolo Muani 

Randal Kolo Muani has seen a huge progress in the last few years. The 24-year-old moved to Germany last summer and was excellent with his performances for Eintracht Frankfurt. Playing mainly as a centre-forward, he found the back of the net on 15 occasions in 32 Bundesliga appearances. The former Nantes star also contributed 14 assists as Frankfurt finished seventh in the standings. 

Kolo Muani was also part of France’s World Cup squad that made it to the final against Argentina, although his role was minor for the national side in the tournament.