Amazingly, seven City players have received Ballon d’Or nominations for 2023.
The 30-player shortlist for the award, regarded as the most prestigious individual honor in football, includes Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland, Rodrigo, and Bernardo Silva.
After another strong performance in goal, Ederson has been nominated for the Yashin Trophy once more.
Ilkay Gundogan, a former City captain, has also been nominated after making a significant contribution to our Treble-winning campaign.
The award, presented by the French publication France Football, will be presented at a ceremony on Monday, October 30 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
JULIAN ALVAREZ
Alvarez reached the pinnacle of achievement in his first full season with City, becoming the 10th player to win the World Cup and earn the Triple Crown in the same campaign.
Alvarez made 49 appearances for the Club across all leagues during which time he scored 17 goals and provided five assists, the majority of which came as a replacement.
When we competed to be proclaimed Champions of Europe, one of his other most significant accomplishments occurred. Alvarez scored one goal and provided two assists in our 3-1 victory over Sevilla when he was 22 years and 275 days old, making him the youngest Argentinian to have been directly involved in three consecutive Champions League goals.
ERLING HAALAND
Haaland had an outstanding first season with City, scoring 52 goals in 53 games played in all competitions.
By the middle of March, the Norwegian had smashed Tommy Johnson’s record for the most goals by a City player in a single season. His 36 Premier League goals also broke the previous records of 34 held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.
Because of his achievements, he has already been named the PFA and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year for 2022–2023.
KEVIN DE BRUYNE
De Bruyne had his most successful season in front of goal, as he placed third in the 2022 Ballon d’Or rankings.
The Belgian has once again been shortlisted after a similarly fruitful season for Pep Guardiola’s team and has been crucial to City winning the Treble.
In fact, he finished the 2022–23 season with an impressive 41 goal involvements in 49 appearances across all competitions, taking the top spot in the Premier League assist records for the fourth time in his eight seasons with the Club.
He reached a century in this category in April, becoming just the fifth player in the competition’s history to do so, and he did it 56 matches faster than the next player.
BERNARDO
Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva, who was also nominated in 2019 and 2022, has made the Ballon D’Or shortlist for the third time in his career.
His outstanding performance in the second leg of our Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid was crucial to a memorable 4-0 victory for us at the Etihad Stadium.
The international player from Portugal went over 300 times for the Club during the current season, and he was given a contract extension in August 2023 as a result of yet another fantastic campaign.
RUBEN DIAS
Dias’ outstanding consistency throughout 2022–23 contributed to the establishment of his status as one of the best center defenders in the world of football.
The 43-time appearances for City throughout all leagues and every minute of our Champions League knockout run were by the Portuguese international.
Only Rodrigo made more passes in the Premier League and Europe’s top league than Dias, a leader on and off the field.
RODRIGO
Rodrigo, who appeared more than any other player in 2022–23, is on the Ballon D’Or shortlist for the first time.
The midfielder, who scored the game-winning goal in our final triumph over Inter in June, was voted the Champions League Player of the Season following another incredibly impressive campaign.
In the most competitive league in Europe and over the course of the 2022–23 Premier League season, he completed more passes than any other player.
JOSKO GVARDIOL
One of City’s most recent additions has received recognition for his accomplishments both at the club and international levels.
He spent the 2022–23 season honing his craft with RB Leipzig, where he made 30 Bundesliga appearances and helped the team finish third.
Gvardiol was a key player as Croatia captured bronze at the 2022 World Cup on the international level.
EDERSON
Meanwhile, Ederson has been nominated for the Yashin Trophy once more.
In 48 games in all competitions, the Brazilian only allowed 39 goals while maintaining 19 clean sheets.
The Champions League final, where he made a series of critical stops late on to preserve our one-goal advantage over Inter, was probably the most significant of those shutouts.
The Lev Yashin Award, given to the greatest goalkeeper of the year, is named in his honor. Ederson is up for the award for the fourth straight year since it was first given.
We at Manchester City want to congratulate every one of our nominees on their selection.
