Barça players well represented at 2023 Ballon D’Or

The most prestigious awards ceremony European football has to offer, the Ballon D’Or awards, is set to be celebrated next month. On October 30th, several FC Barcelona players will be making the trip to Paris, having been nominated for several big honors. From youngsters like Pedri and Gavi, to the older guard (Gündoğan, Lewandowski). Let’s take a look at each and every player to be recognized.

Yashin Trophy – Marc-André ter Stegen

Let’s start off with Barça’s second captain, Marc-André ter Stegen. His 2022/23 season was a phenomenal one, and that’s been recognized. He’s up for the Yashin Trophy, Ballon D’Ors best goalkeeper of the year. The German keeper has a great case for it, too.

On top of having won the La Liga, ter Stegen also claimed the Zamora trophy, having conceded only 18 goals all season long. He tied the Liga record for most clean sheets in a season – 26 – and won the La Liga MVP award. He made several great saves in key moments. He also completed the 8th most passes of any blaugrana player, which is ridiculous for a goalkeeper. In a season where many of Barça’s final score lines were 1-0 wins, he was monumental and was a massive reason for Barça’s success last year.

All this being said, it must be said that the goalkeeper from Mönchengladbach has got a great chance to win, although the list is full of great goalkeepers. Regardless, come October 30th, we’ll see who the Ballon D’Or voters choose.

Kopa Trophy – Pedri, Gavi, Balde

The Kopa Trophy is the Ballon D’Ors best under-21 performer. It’s certainly no surprise to see all three of Barca’s nominees here, as they truly are some of the best young players in the world.

However, 19-year-old Gavi already won the award last year, as did 20-year-old Pedri the year before. This is to say, it’s probably unlikely they’ll win again.

Alejandro Balde, on the other hand, could be a different story. He’s also one of the favorites to win the Golden Boy award, and he’s got a strong case to win this as well. Replacing Jordi Alba on Barça’s left flank was never going to be easy, but he’s taken over the role and made it his own to become and undisputed starter.

Despite this, Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala also have great chances to win based off their stellar performances in the Bundesliga last season, and their offensive numbers, by virtue of their positions, certainly pop more than Balde’s. It will be an interesting result nonetheless.

Ballon D’Or – Lewandowski, Gündoğan

Finally, the big one – the Ballon D’Or itself.

Robert Lewandowski was Barça’s top scorer last season for their league-winning campaign, bagging 23 goals and also chipping in 7 assists. The 35-year-old certainly played a huge role for the club in his first season in Catalunya. This will be his 8th nomination, having won 2nd place in 2021’s Ballon D’Or race.

Gündoğan is fresh off a treble-winning season for Manchester City, one in which he played a pivotal role. He was one of Pep Guardiola’s most important players, netting 11 goals and 7 assists while mostly playing as a CM.

However, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Lionel Messi is going to win this year, followed closely in the odds by Erling Haaland. While the two Barça players did have tremendous seasons last year, the competition for this award is dominated by the Argentine and the Norwegian.

Regardless, it’s a great honor for both Robert and İlkay to be nominated, as it is an honor for all of Barça’s players throughout all the awards.

What do you think? Will any Barça player win a trophy next October 30th?