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

Messi beats Haaland to Ballon d’Or as Bellingham picks up gong for best young player

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

• Early list reveals Mohamed Salah 11th, Harry Kane in 19th
• Jude Bellingham wins Kopa Trophy
• Vinicius Jr succeeeds Sadio Mane as winner of Socrates award
• Barcelona win Club of the Year award for FCB Femeni’s triumphs in 22/23
• Man City win Club of the Year for men’s game after treble triumph
• Emi Martinez wins Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper
• Erling Haaland wins Gerd Muller award for most goals
• Aitana Bonmati wins Ballon d’Or Feminin 2023
• Lionel Messi wins his eighth Ballon d’Or, extending his own record

[30 October 2023 21:50 · Karl Matchett]

Messi wins eighth Ballon d’Or as Bonmati and Bellingham pick up awards

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.

England did have one representative picking up an award, as Jude Bellingham picked up the first trophy of the night - the Kopa Trophy, handed out to the best young player on the planet. Previous winners include Kylian Mbappe in 2018, the inaugral year, and Barcelona’s Gavi last time out.

Full report and award winners:

[30 October 2023 10:05 · Karl Matchett]

Ballon d’Or awards LIVE

Plenty of platitudes and words of praise for the worthy winners - and all those who were runners and riders along the way too.

No doubt the goals and trophies of Haaland might have landed him the award in another year, but let’s face it when Messi was champion of the world, he was getting that eighth one, wasn’t he?

[30 October 2023 16:31 · Karl Matchett]

What time is the Ballon d’Or tonight?

The Ballon d’Or awards ceremony takes place tonight when football’s most prestigious individual prize is presented to the most worthy recipient. The Ballon d’Or and Ballon d’Or Féminin are annual awards presented by French news magazine France Football and have been running since 1956.

Karim Benzema, who led Real Madrid to the Champions League, LaLiga, Uefa Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup titles, lifted the Ballon d’Or trophy last year while Alexia Putellas won the women’s award for a second consecutive year.

Lionel Messi is the most decorated Ballon d’Or winner with seven triumphs to his name and is the big favourite to be awarded the trophy again this year after his heroics in helping Argentina win the World Cup. Messi faces competition from Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and PSG’s Kylian Mbappe.

Aitana Bonmati is the favourite to succeed Putellas for the Ballon d’Or Feminin after leading Spain to the Women’s World Cup and Barcelona to the Women’s Champions League. Bonmati was named player of the tournament in both the World Cup and Champions League, while Chelsea and Australia star Sam Kerr could place highly.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the ceremony:

[30 October 2023 18:05 · Karl Matchett]

Georgia Stanway disappointed to miss ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ Ballon d’Or ceremony

Georgia Stanway says it is frustrating the Ballon d’Or ceremony taking place on the eve of a round of women’s international games was not “planned a little bit better”.

The England and Bayern Munich midfielder is among the nominees but will not be at Monday evening’s ceremony in Paris as she prepares for the Lionesses’ match against Belgium in Leuven, part of a busy schedule of Nations League fixtures on Tuesday.

Stanway, whose international team-mates Mary Earps, Millie Bright and Rachel Daly have also been shortlisted for the prestigious awards, told a press conference regarding her nomination: “It’s very cool, and nice to get the accolade as well as a lot of the team-mates in the Lionesses.

“There’s a few people I would also add to the list who have had very, very successful years. It’s a real achievement to be amongst those names.

“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t be there. That’s something we spoke as a player group (about), and we just kind of said it would be nice in the future if it wasn’t on a matchday minus one, so that we could enjoy the experience. It is (frustrating), because it’s potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

[30 October 2023 18:10 · Karl Matchett]

Lionel Messi is no longer the best in the world but he still deserves one last Ballon d’Or

For the eighth and probably last time, Lionel Messi will win the Ballon d’Or tonight. Messi will beat competition from Manchester City’s treble-winners, an inevitable result after he inspired Argentina to their first World Cup since Diego Maradona did the same in 1986. The betting has stopped, and the only mystery left at the Paris ceremony is to guess the fabric of his suit.

Messi’s journey can be told in football and in fashion choices. He collected his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 wearing a basic black suit and tie, looking like a boy at the school prom, and with each passing year his attire became more bold: the bow tie and tux in 2010, the velvet sheen in 2011 and the garish polka dots in 2012 symbolising the blooming confidence of a young man who could do no wrong, who could take a hideous suit like a bad pass and turn it into something great, or at least slightly less hideous, by dint of his own brilliance.

Things got a little out of hand in 2013 when he wore a full red ensemble, an outfit which, in hindsight, didn’t deserve to win. Messi was beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo two years in a row, and when he finally resumed his throne in 2015, he did so back in a classic black tuxedo. In 2019, Messi’s simple grey tie was a suitably sombre look to end his four-year winless drought, before the shimmering sparkles of 2021 which lit him up like a galaxy as he claimed No 7.

Lawrence Ostlere takes a look at Messi’s magic - and his wardrobe - as the Ballon d’Or awards approach:

[30 October 2023 18:20 · Karl Matchett]

Ballon d’Or odds list

Not much to split the favourites...only kidding. Leo Messi is far and away the favourite to win after triumphing at the World Cup. Odds from gambling.com:

• Messi 1/9
• Haaland 9/2
• Vini Jr 50/1
• De Bruyne 50/1
• Rodri 50/1

And for the Feminin winner, Aitana Bonmati is a similarly overwhelming favourite:

• Bonmati 1/5
• Carmona 8/1
• Earps 10/1
• Kerr 16/1

[30 October 2023 18:30 · Karl Matchett]

Ballon d’Or awards LIVE

A reminder that tonight’s not just about these two major awards for the men’s and women’s game.

We’ll also see the Yashin trophy handed out for the top goalkeeper of the year, and the Kopa trophy for the best youngster around.

The current holders of those two are Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Barcelona’s Gavi respectively.

Previous winners of the Yashin are Alisson Becker and Gianluigi Donnaruma.

And the earliest Kopa winners were Kylian Mbappe, Matthijs de Ligt and Pedri.

[30 October 2023 18:36 · Karl Matchett]

Ballon d’Or shortlist: Who are the nominees for 2023 award tonight?

Ballon d’Or 2023: Who is nominated for the men’s award?

• Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig and Manchester City)
• Andre Onana (Inter Milan and Manchester United)
• Karim Benzema (Real Madrid and Al-Ittihad)
• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
• Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
• Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
• Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain)
• Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid)
• Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
• Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
• Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
• Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
• Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)
• Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
• Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
• Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City and Barcelona)
• Yassine Bounou (Sevilla and Al-Hilal)
• Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
• Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
• Rodrigo (Manchester City)
• Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami)
• Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
• Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
• Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
• Kim Min-jae (Napoli and Bayern Munich)
• Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
• Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-German)
• Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
• Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich)

[30 October 2023 18:42 · Karl Matchett]

Ballon d’Or shortlist: Who are the nominees for 2023 award tonight?

Ballon d’Or Féminin 2023: Who is nominated for the women’s award?

• Daphne Van Domselaar (Twente and Aston Villa)
• Lena Oberdorf (Vfl Wolfsburg)
• Hinata Miyazawa (MyNavi Sendai)
• Millie Bright (Chelsea)
• Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona)
• Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns)
• Hayley Raso (Manchester City and Real Madrid)
• Amanda Ilestedt (Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal)
• Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich)
• Olga Carmona (Real Madrid)
• Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona)
• Rachel Daly (Aston Villa)
• Alba Redondo (Levante)
• Lina Caicedo (Real Madrid)
• Kadidiatou Diani (Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais)
• Patricia Guijarro (Barcelona)
• Ewa Pajor (Vfl Wolfsburg)
• Guro Reiten (Chelsea)
• Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
• Debinha (North Carlina Courage and Kansas City Current)
• Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)
• Alexandra Popp (Vfl Wolfsburg)
• Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City)
• Jill Roord (Vfl Wolfsburg and Manchester City)
• Katie McCabe (Arsenal)
• Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyonnais)
• Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona)
• Mary Earps (Manchester United)
• Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw (Manchester City)
• Mapi Leon (Barcelona)

[30 October 2023 18:48 · Karl Matchett]

Ballon d’Or shortlist: Who are the nominees for 2023 award tonight?

Ballon d’Or 2023: Who is shortlisted for the Yashin Trophy?

• Brice Samba (Lens)
• Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb and Fenerbahce)
• Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
• Andre Onana (Inter Milan and Manchester United)
• Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
• Ederson (Manchester City)
• Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona)
• Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
• Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
• Yassine Bounou (Sevilla and Al-Hilal)