The Ballon d’Or Feminin is being presented for the fifth time in 2023, with 30 players in the running off the back of a landmark 2022/23 club season and the recent 2023 World Cup too.
2021 and 2022 winner Alexia Putellas spent most of the 2022/23 season sidelined with an ACL injury and is therefore not among the nominees this time, but Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmati will be considered one of the favourites following Champions League and World Cup success – the midfielder also won the Golden Ball award as the best player at the latter.
Bonmati is joined in the list of nominations by Barcelona colleagues Patri Guijarro and Mapi Leon, both of whom refused to end their self-enforced boycott of the Spain national team in protest against the environment created by the Spanish football federation and now former head coach Jorge Vilda.
Mary Earps, World Cup Golden Glove winner is the only goalkeeper nominated. She is joined by new Manchester United teammate and World Cup Golden Boot winner Hinata Miyazawa.
England captain Millie Bright and 2022/23 WSL top scorer Rachel Daly are included, as is Bayern Munich and Lionesses star Georgia Stanway. There also place for Chelsea’s Guro Reiten and Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw, as well as Wolfsburg duo Alexandra Popp and Ewa Pajor.
There is no nomination for inaugral 2018 winner Ada Hegerberg, who had an injur-hit season with Lyon and endured a tough World Cup too. 2019 winner Megan Rapinoe is also absent following a bit-part role in the United States’ worst ever World Cup display – she is due to retire this year.
The Ballon d’Or Feminin trophy will be awarded to the world’s best player on 30 October at an award ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
