La Liga’s 2023 Ballon D’Or nominees

France Football Magazine has revealed their 30-man shortlist for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are the top favourites for the prestigious award, while Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to make the cut. 

Six La Liga players are also part of the shortlist following their impressive displays last season, and below we will discuss them in detail.  

Jude Bellingham 

Jude Bellingham is one of the most talented players in the world. The 20-year-old took the Bundesliga by storm after moving to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, posting 132 appearances and scoring 24 goals. Last season, he was one of the key players to help the Black and Yellows make a strong challenge for the league title. 

Several top European heavyweights wanted to secure his services but Real Madrid beat off competition to land the England ace. The talented midfielder has now made a spectacular start to life in Spain, netting five goals in four league games. 

Ilkay Gundogan 

Manchester City finally landed the Champions League last term after beating Inter Milan in the final. Pep Guardiola’s side ended up completing a treble of trophies in what was their best season ever. 

Ilkay Gundogan was one of the key players in City’s successes last campaign as he featured in 51 matches in all competitions, scoring 11 goals. The German has now moved to Barcelona, hoping to continue his excellent form in La Liga. 

Vinicius Junior 

Vinicius Junior has shown incredible development in the last few years at Real Madrid. He is only 23 but has played in over 150 La Liga matches for Los Blancos. 

The talented forward won the Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup last season with Real. He posted impressive numbers for his club, registering 23 goals and 21 assists in 55 appearances in all competitions. 

Antoine Griezmann 

Antoine Griezmann’s move to Barcelona didn’t work for him but the 32-year-old has seen a renaissance since returning to Atletico Madrid. Last season, he scored 15 goals and created 17 assists in 38 La Liga matches to help his side finish third, with a point behind Real Madrid. 

Griezmann was also a key part of France’s team that made it to the final of the 2022 World Cup. He started six matches in Qatar, with three assists to his name. 

Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski hit the ground running at Barcelona after joining from Bayern Munich last summer. The experienced striker smashed an incredible 33 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions in 2022-23. 

He was a key player for Xavi Hernandez’s side last season as they won the La Liga title as well as the Spanish Super Cup. It is incredible to see such quality from the Poland international who is 35-years-old. 

Luka Modric

Luka Modric has been a faithful servant for Real Madrid since he first moved to the club back in 2012 from Tottenham Hotspur. He is now 38-years-old but is still playing impressive football. 

Last season, he posted 33 La Liga appearances with seven goal contributions to his name. The midfielder was also a key part of Croatia team that won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup.

Modric has previously won the Ballon d’Or but he has been nominated again for the prestigious award.