Oshoala, Kerr, Bonmati, and others are among those nominated for the 2023 Women’s Ballon d’Or Award [Full List].

Following an outstanding season with FC Barcelona Femini in the Spanish League and the Super Falcons of Nigeria, Asisat Oshoala has been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or women’s player of the year award.

Oshoala, the reigning Africa women’s player of the year, led FC Barcelona to the 2022/23 Spanish league title with 21 goals in just 28 games and was the Spanish club’s top-scorer with 27 goals in all competitions.

The 28-year-old played a key role in Barcelona retaining their domestic crown and winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

The two-time Champions League winner was also nominated for the award in 2022, becoming the first female African player to receive a Ballon Dór nomination, finishing 16th out of the 30 players shortlisted.

Oshoala made history at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand by becoming the first Nigerian and first female African player to score in three different FIFA World Cups.

The Super Falcons star scored in her World Cup debut against Sweden in 2015, against South Korea in 2019, and now against Australia in 2023.

She scored the game-winning goal in Nigeria’s 3-2 group-stage win over co-hosts Australia and guided the Super Falcons to a remarkable round-of-16 finish.

Nigeria was eliminated from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after losing 4-2 on penalties to eventual finalists England’s Lionesses in the Round of 16.

The nine-time African champions finished second in their group, behind co-hosts Australia, and qualified ahead of Olympic winners Canada and debutants Republic of Ireland.

Oshoala was a vital member of the Falcons’ outstanding group-stage performance, in which they avoided defeat in all three group-stage matches for the first time in history, with a win and two draws.

The Ikorodu-born superstar and former Arsenal striker has also won African Player of the Year five times—in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022.

With two-time defending champion Alexia Putellas out after an injury-plagued season, a new winner will be crowned on October 30th.

Barcelona and Spain sensation Bonmati, who was vital in the Spanish women’s national team’s World Cup victory, is the frontrunner to receive the award that her teammate, Alexia Putellas, won last year.

Bonmati is a strong contender to succeed Putellas after a fantastic tournament performance that included playing in every game and winning the best player award.

Chelsea’s Sam Kerr is another likely winner, having scored 29 goals for the Blues last season as they won the domestic double before representing Australia at the World Cup.

Ada Hegerberg of Lyon won the first women’s Ballon d’Or in 2018, while Megan Rapinoe of the United States Women’s National Team won it in 2019. The 2020 ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Alexia Putellas, Oshoala’s colleague, won the restart of the competition in 2021 and held her championship in 2022.

On October 30, the Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held at Paris’s Theatre du Chatelet.

On this day, the Ballon d’Or 2023 winners will be announced.

The Ballon d’Or women’s award nominees are:

Khadija Shaw (Man City)
Mapi Leon (Barcelona)
Mary Earps (Man United)
Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona)
Wendie Renard (Lyon)
Katie Mccabe (Arsenal)
Jill Roord (Wolfsburg and Man City)
Yui Hasegawa (Man City)
Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg)
Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)
Debinha (Kansas City)
Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
Guro Reiten (Chelsea)
Ewa Pajor (Wolfsburg)
Patricia Guijarro (Barcelona)
Daphne Van Domselaar (Twente and Aston Villa)
Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)
Hinata Miyazawa (MyNavi Sendai and Man United)
Millie Bright(Chelsea)
Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona)
Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns)
Hayley Raso (Man City and Real Madrid)
Amanda Ilestedt (PSG and Arsenal)
Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich)
Olga Ramona (Real Madrid)
Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona)
Rachel Daly (Aston Villa)
Alba Redondo (Levante)
Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid)
Kadidiatou Diani (Lyon)