Ballon d'Or: Bounou, Salah, Osimhen, Onana and Oshoala nominated

The nominees for the 2023 Ballon d'Or have been revealed. A list of 30 players in the men's game and another 30 in the women's game was unveiled on Wednesday by France Football. The French magazine also announced the nominees for the Kopa Trophy, the Yacine Trophy and the Golden Boy award. While no African player features on the list for the Kopa Trophy, which rewards the best young player of the year, the continent can take heart from having representatives in the other categories.

Goalkeeper of the year: Onana and Bounou in the running

André Onana and Yassine Bounou are among the 10 nominees for the Yacine Trophy, awarded to the best goalkeeper. The Cameroonian stood out with Inter Milan last season, notably during their memorable Champions League run. As for the Atlas Lion, his historic run with Morocco at the 2022 World Cup and the Europa League win with Sevilla speak for themselves. The two goalkeepers will face serious competition. Ederson (Man City), Thibault Courtois (Real Madrid) and Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) are also named among the list of 10 goalkeepers.

🧤 — The 10 nominees for the Yachine Trophy🏆✨

Marc André ter Stegen 🇩🇪
Dominik Livaković 🇭🇷
Emiliano Martínez 🇦🇷
Thibaut Courtois 🇧🇪
Aaron Ramsdale 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Mike Maignan 🇫🇷
Yassine Bounou 🇲🇦
André Onana 🇨🇲
Brice Samba 🇫🇷
Ederson 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/8fJumLCaZn

— Sport News Africa (@snewsafrica) September 6, 2023

Women's Ballon d'Or: Asisat Oshoala the only African

In the women's list, only Asisat Oshoala is nominated for the 2023 women's Ballon d'Or. The Nigerian forward is rewarded for a fine season with FC Barcelona (21 goals, 3 assists). She won the Champions League with the Catalan club and also helped her national team reach the round of 16 at the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Men's Ballon d'Or: 4 players among the 30

A regular on this list of 30, Mohamed Salah is present once again. Although Liverpool struggled last season, the Pharaoh still managed to shine. He scored 30 goals and provided 16 assists in all competitions. The Egyptian forward is in the running alongside André Onana, Yassine Bounou and Victor Osimhen. The latter made a major impression by handing Napoli their 3rd Italian league title.

The Nigerian striker scored 26 goals in Serie A. Those exceptional performances have thrust him into the spotlight and onto this list of the 30 best players in the world. The two goalkeepers are also in the running for the Yachine Trophy. The winners will be announced on 30 October at the awards ceremony.

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