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Odegaard and Saka nominated for Ballon d'Or

Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard’s brilliant 2022/23 seasons have once again been recognised as the duo have been nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or.

The prize, widely seen as the game’s most prestigious individual award, sees journalists from around the world cast their votes to crown the world’s best player each season, and has been awarded since 1956. 

For the 2023 edition, Martin and Bukayo have been included on the 30-man shortlist alongside some of the biggest stars in the sport.

Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsdale has also received recognition by being nominated for the Yashin Trophy, which has been awarded to the best goalkeeper since its creation in 2019.

Martin’s stellar campaign last season sees him recognised, after our skipper scored 15 Premier League goals - the first central midfielder to score as many in a season for us in the competition’s history since Cesc Fabregas in 2009/10 - and contributed seven assists to help us mount a title challenge right up until the closing weeks.

He wasn't short of individual accolades last season, having been named the Premier League Player of the Month for November/December, alongside a nomination for the division’s Player of the Year award. 

Bukayo enjoyed an equally impressive campaign, scoring 15 goals and providing 11 assists. He recently was crowned the PFA Young Player of the Year for 2022/23, and his exploits at the 2022 World Cup, where he netted three times during England’s run to the quarter-finals, saw him land the England Player of the Year accolade for the second-straight season.

The pair were also included in the PFA Team of the Season alongside Aaron, who receives his first nomination for the Yashin Trophy, named after the famed Soviet Union goalkeeper Lev Yashin. 

Our shot-stopper kept 15 clean sheets across all competitions in 41 appearances, and was a part of the England squad that competed in Qatar during the World Cup. Only Golden Glove winner David de Gea kept more clean sheets in the Premier League last season.

There was also recognition for two of our women’s team, as Katie McCabe and Amanda Ilestedt have been nominated for the Women’s Ballon d’Or, which Beth Mead finished runner-up in last year.

The winners will be revealed during a ceremony on October 30 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.

Full list of nominees

Kim min-jae (Napoli and Bayern Munich)

Luka Modric (Real Madrid)

Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Victor Osimhen (Napoli)

Harry Kane (Tottenham and Bayern Munich)

Lionel Messi (PSG and Inter Miami)

Rodri (Man City)

Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)

Julian Alvarez (Man City)

Yassine Bounou (Sevilla and Al Hilal)

Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)

Ilkay Gundogan (Man City and Barcelona)

Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

Erling Haaland (Man City)

Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)

Ruben Dias (Man City)

Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)

Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt and PSG)

Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid)

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid and Al-Ittihad)

Andre Onana (Inter Milan and Man United)

Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig and Man City)