Ballon d'Or 2023: Full list of winners as Lionel Messi and Aitana Bonmati grab headlines
The France Football Ballon d'Or gala was hosted at the Théâtre du Châtelet on Monday in Paris. There were eight awards handed out on the evening at the ceremony hosted by Chelsea legend Didier Drogba and Sandy Heribert.
Vinicius Jr was given the Socrates Award for his humanitarian work this year. The Real Madrid star's institute, which was started in 2020, aims to open 15 schools with 10,000 studying by the end of 2023.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Brazilian vowed to continue his fight against racism and said (via Reuters):
"I will remain strong in the fight against racism. It is a very sad thing to talk about racism nowadays, but we have to continue in the fight so that people suffer less. Very happy to receive this award and to help many children in Brazil. I had little chance of getting where I have coming from where I came so it is a pleasure for me to help as many kid as I can so they can have a chance."
Erling Haaland took home the Gerd Muller award for his 52 goals last season. He became the second footballer to get the award after Robert Lewandowski took it in 2021 and 2022.
Emiliano Martinez was recognized for his incredible FIFA World Cup and awarded the Yashin Trophy. The Argentine kept three clean sheets at the tournament in Qatar, but his most significant contribution was the last-minute save vs Kolo Muani and the penalty save from Kingsley Coman in the shoot-out against France in the final.
Jude Bellingham was awarded the Kopa Trophy after his incredible season with Borussia Dortmund. He was delighted to beat his friend Jamal Musiala to the award for the best young player in the world.
Manchester City were named the Men's Club of the Year once again, making it two in a row for the Cityzens. FC Barcelona took home the Women's Club of the Year award after their impressive season.
Aitana Bonmati was the clear winner of the Women's Ballon d'Or after her astonishing year with Spain and Barcelona. She won the Liga F, FIFA World Cup, and the UEFA Champions League, playing a pivotal role in all competitions.
The biggest cheer for the night was for Lionel Messi, who was voted the Men's Ballon d'Or winner. He beat Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to the award but took a moment in his speech to acknowledge the two stars.