The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 season started on September 17, 2024 and will run till May 31, 2025.

Organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 is the 70th season of Europe's elite club competition and the 33rd season since it was rebranded from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 is the first season to be staged under a new format.

As per the Champions League new format, as many as 36 clubs are participating in the new league phase in comparison to the previous 32-team group stage system. The new UCL format has offered four more teams the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe.

While previously the 32 participants were divided into eight groups of four, the Champions League 2024-25 new format is witnessing these 36 teams participate in a single league competition in which all the 36 competing clubs will be ranked together in one big league table.

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Man City, Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Real Madrid, Bayern, Dortmund, Leipzig, Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Atalanta, Bologna, Inter, Juventus, Milan, Brest, Lille, Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Salzburg, Sturm Graz, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, Benfica, Sporting CP, Club Brugge, GNK Dinamo, Sparta Praha, Celtic, Crvena Zvezda, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys and Shakhtar Donetsk are the teams competing for the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 title.

According to the UCL 2024-25 format, every team will play eight matches each in the new league phase, four at home and four away.

Under the former group stage system, each club used to face the other three opponents in their group twice in a home-and-away format. 

Every result will determine the overall ranking in the new league phase with three points being awarded for a win and one for a draw.

The top eight teams in the league will directly qualify for the round of 16 while the teams placed ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knock-out phase playoff to secure their path to the last 16 of the competition. 

Teams that will finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from the competition with no access to the UEFA Europa League.

In the knockout stage, clubs that finish between ninth and 16th will be seeded in the knockout phase playoff draw and will face a team placed 17th to 24th, with the return leg scheduled at home.

The eight winners in the knockout phase playoffs will advance to the Champions League round of 16. These teams will clash with the top-eight finishers, who will seeded in the round of 16.

From the round of 16 onwards, the UEFA Champions League will continue to follow its existing format of knockout rounds leading to the final staged at a neutral venue selected by UEFA. 

Furthermore, the number of matches in the Champions League 2024-25 new format has been increased from 125 to 189.

Just like previous editions, all Champions League 2024-25 matches will be played in midweek in order to take into consideration the domestic calendar of various leagues across Europe.

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 final will be played at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Real Madrid are the defending champions of the UEFA Champions League after they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the UCL 2023-24 final at the Wembley Stadium in London, England.

With the win, Real Madrid claimed their record-extending 15th European Cup title, and their sixth in 11 years.

Apart from the title, all eyes will be on the race for the UEFA Champions League top scorers 2024-25.

Several top footballers including the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane, Viktor Gyokeres, Florian Wirtz, Erling Haaland, Raphinha, Jonathan David and Vinícius Júnior are in the UEFA Champions League top scorers 2024-25 race.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and former Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe topped the UEFA Champions League top-scorers list last season with eight goals each.

Get UEFA Champions League top scorers 2024-25 list.

UEFA Champions League top scorers 2024-25: Know who has most goals in ongoing UCL

Player	Club	Matches	Goals
Robert Lewandowski	FC Barcelona	5	7
Harry Kane	Bayern Munich	5	5
Viktor Gyokeres	Sporting CP	5	5
Florian Wirtz	Bayer Leverkusen	5	5
Erling Haaland	Manchester City	5	5
Raphinha	FC Barcelona	5	5
Serhou Guirassy	Borussia Dortmund	5	4
Jonathan David	LOSC Lille	5	4
Jamie Gittens	Borussia Dortmund	5	4
Vinícius Júnior	Real Madrid	4	4

Photo credit: Imago

Football, like any other modern-day sport, has undergone a sea of changes as it evolved over the years. Fans of different generations vouch for their favourite players as the best of all time.

The likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been fan favourites and are some of the prime contenders for the title of King of Football.

Brazilian legend Pele had set the benchmark early with three football World Cup wins out of the four he played from 1958 to 1970. He netted close to 700 goals for club and country to leave his legacy on the game. With such incredible records to his name, the title of King of Football is most often associated with the legendary Pelé.

Later, Diego Maradona received similar adulation from the fans as he single-handedly took Argentina to the pinnacle of World Football in 1986 captaining the team to a World Cup win. He was known more for his dribbling prowess as he cast a spell on defenders to wriggle away with the ball.

The late 1990s saw the emergence of players like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho who left their mark on the field with spectacular performances.

However, it has been a two-horse race in the 21st century with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo pushing each other to bring out their best. 

Messi, who could not replicate his performances at Barcelona with the Argentina national team, has struck gold lately in the blue and white stripes. He first won the Copa America trophy in 2021 with Argentina before achieving ultimate glory with a FIFA World Cup win in 2022.

Messi finished as the joint top-scorer and shared the Best Player award with Brazilian Neymar in the 2021 continental championship. He also won the Golden Ball for the Player of the Tournament at the 2022 World Cup. 

Another title at the Copa America 2024 will make it three international titles in a row for Argentina and Messi, cementing his place as the King of Football. With a career spanning 20 years, 8 Ballon d’Or trophies, four FIFA World Player of the Year awards, and more than 600 goals, Messi has reached the zenith of the beautiful game.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has been a revelation with the most international appearances and goals scored by any player in the history of the game. He has played in top European clubs in Portugal, England, Spain and Italy winning a total of five UEFA Champions League titles, seven league titles and five Ballon d’Or awards among others.

Ronaldo won the Euro 2016 title with Portugal but is yet to win a World Cup with the side. In the 2022 World Cup, he became the first player to score in five World Cups and his presence in the UEFA Euro 2024 has made him the only player to have played six European Championships. 

With close to 700 goals and 21 years of professional football behind him, Ronaldo has pushed all limits of fitness and longevity in a tough physical game.

World Football will soon see the passing of the baton from Messi and Ronaldo to the next generation of stars, like Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, who are in line to be crowned the world’s best.

Photo credit: Alamy

The Premier League Golden Boot is an annual football award bestowed to the leading goalscorer in the Premier League.

Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, there have been 26 different players to win the Premier League Golden Boot in the last three decades.

Teddy Sheringham won the inaugural Premier League Golden Boot in 1993. Playing for Tottenham Hotspur, the former England forward netted 22 goals in 41 games to bag the prestigious award.

Later in 1994, Newcastle United’s Andy Cole won the Premier League Golden Boot after he scored 34 goals in 40 games that season.

Alan Shearer then became the first player to win the award in three consecutive seasons. He claimed the Premier League Golden Boot in 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.

In 1999, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dwight Yorke were the first non-English and non-European winners, respectively, when they shared the award with Michael Owen.

Legendary Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has the most Premier League Golden Boot awards. He won the award on four occasions in 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Thierry Henry also became the second player after Alan Shearer to win the award in three successive seasons.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scripted history as he scored the most goals to win the Premier League Golden Boot.

In the 2022-23 season, Erling Haaland won the award after he scored 36 goals in just 35 matches. Haaland once again bagged the award in the 2023-24 season with 27 goals in 31 games.

Former Chelsea forward Nicolas Anelka netted the fewest goals to bag the Golden Boot outright with 19 goals in 2008-09.

However, the all-time record for lowest number of goals scored to be presented the award is 18 goals, which was achieved during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons.

Chris Sutton, Dion Dublin and Michael Owen shared the award with 18 goals in 1998, while the same thing was repeated by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Dwight Yorke and Michael Owen in 1999.

Get Premier League Golden Boot winners list.

Premier League Golden Boot winners list

Season	Player	Club	Goals
1992-93	Teddy Sheringham	Tottenham Hotspur	22
1993-94	Andy Cole	Newcastle United	34
1994-95	Alan Shearer	Blackburn Rovers	34
1995-96	Alan Shearer	Blackburn Rovers	31
1996-97	Alan Shearer	Newcastle United	25
1997-98	Chris Sutton	Blackburn Rovers	18
	Dion Dublin	Coventry City	18
	Michael Owen	Liverpool	18
1998-99	Michael Owen	Liverpool	18
	Dwight Yorke	Manchester United	18
	Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink	Leeds United	18
1999-2000	Kevin Phillips	Sunderland	30
2000-01	Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink	Chelsea	23
2001-02	Thierry Henry	Arsenal	24
2002-03	Ruud van Nistelrooy	Manchester United	25
2003-04	Thierry Henry	Arsenal	30
2004-05	Thierry Henry	Arsenal	25
2005-06	Thierry Henry	Arsenal	27
2006-07	Didier Drogba	Chelsea	20
2007-08	Cristiano Ronaldo	Manchester United	31
2008-09	Nicolas Anelka	Chelsea	19
2009-10	Didier Drogba	Chelsea	29
2010-11	Carlos Tevez	Manchester City	20
	Dimitar Berbatov	Manchester United	20
2011-12	Robin van Persie	Arsenal	30
2012-13	Robin van Persie	Manchester United	26
2013-14	Luis Suárez	Liverpool	31
2014-15	Sergio Agüero	Manchester City	26
2015-16	Harry Kane	Tottenham Hotspur	25
2016-17	Harry Kane	Tottenham Hotspur	29
2017-18	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	32
2018-19	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	Arsenal	22
	Sadio Mané	Liverpool	22
	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	22
2019-20	Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	23
2020-21	Harry Kane	Tottenham Hotspur	23
2021-22	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	23
	Son Heung-min	Tottenham Hotspur	23
2022-23	Erling Haaland	Manchester City	36
2023-24	Erling Haaland	Manchester City	27

Most Premier League Golden Boot won by a player

Awards	Player	Seasons
4	Thierry Henry	2001�?2, 2003�?4, 2004�?5, 2005�?6
3	Harry Kane	2015�?6, 2016�?7, 2020�?1
3	Mohamed Salah	2017�?8, 2018�?9, 2021�?2
3	Alan Shearer	1994�?5, 1995�?6, 1996�?7
2	Erling Haaland	2022-23, 2023-24
2	Didier Drogba	2006�?7, 2009�?0
2	Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink	1998�?9, 2000�?1
2	Michael Owen	1997�?8, 1998�?9
2	Robin van Persie	2011�?2, 2012�?3

Photo credit: Alamy

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 was held in London on January 15, 2024.

Organised by FIFA, the Best FIFA Football Award is presented by football’s governing body to celebrate the achievements in men’s and women’s football in the calendar year.

The winners at Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 were selected by an international jury featuring national team coaches and captains as well expert journalists and fans from all over the world registered on FIFA.com.

The award period for The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach and The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper was between December 19, 2022 and August 20, 2023.

Apart from these three categories, The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach, The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper, The FIFA Puskás Award, The FIFA Fair Play Award and The FIFA Fan Award were also given out. Get Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 winners list.

Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 winners list

The Best FIFA Men’s Player

Lionel Messi pipped Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to win the Best FIFA Men's Player Award.

Interestingly, Messi and Haaland were tied in voting on 48 points. However, the FIFA World Cup 2022 winner edged the Manchester City forward based on the number of first-choice nominations which Messi received from the national team captains.

Previously, Messi won The Best FIFA Men's Player in 2019 and 2022 since its inception in 2016. 

The Best FIFA Women’s Player

Barcelona Femeni midfielder Aitana Bonmati picked up her first Best FIFA Women's Player Award. The Spanish footballer topped the vote ahead of Linda Caicedo and Jenni Hermoso to win the award. Earlier, Bonmati bagged the Golden Ball prize at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 held in Australia and New Zealand. Bonmati received 52 points while Caicedo and Jenni Hermoso secured 40 and 36 points, respectively.

The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson won The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Award ahead of Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Yassine Bounou of Al-Hilal. Ederson bagged the award for the first time after helping City win the treble -  Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in the 2022-23 season.

The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper

England and Manchester United No.1 Mary Earps won The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Award for the second consecutive year. Mary Earps pipped Barcelona Femeni goalkeeper Catalina Coll and Australia’s Mackenzie Arnold after her impressive showing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

The Best FIFA Men’s Coach

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claimed The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Award in London. Guardiola won the award ahead of Luciano Spalletti and Simone Inzaghi. Under Pep’s guidance, City won the treble including winning their first UEFA Champions League.

The Best FIFA Women’s Coach

England coach Sarina Wiegman bagged the The Best FIFA Women’s Coach Award for a record-extending fourth time. Previously, Wiegman won the award in 2017, 2020 and 2022. Wiegman (28 points) edged Emma Hayes and Jonatan Giraldez to claim the award.

The FIFA Puskás Award

Brazilian midfielder Guilherme Madruga won The FIFA Puskás Award for his spectacular overhead kick from outside the box for Botafogo against Novorizontino in the Brasileirão Serie B clash.

The FIFA Fan Award

Argentine Hugo Daniel “Toto�?Iniguez was awarded The FIFA Fan Award for 2023.

In May 2023, the Colon de Santa Fe fan went viral after he was spotted feeding his son during an Argentine Primera Division encounter against Barracas Central.

The FIFA Fair Play Award

The Brazilian national football team won The FIFA Fair Play Award for their influential stand against racism.

A Seleção donned an all-black jersey in place of their traditional yellow kit during a friendly against Guinea in June 2023. Brazil donned a black kit for the first time in their history in order to show solidarity with star forward Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian star forward has been subjected to racial abuse while playing for Real Madrid in La Liga.

Photo credit: Alamy

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer of 2023 with 53 goals.

Playing for his club Al Nassr FC, Cristiano Ronaldo netted a brace against Al Ittihad Club in the recent Saudi Pro League clash to become the leading goal-scorer in 2023.

Ronaldo scored his 52nd and 53rd goal of the calendar year after converting two penalties in Al Nassr's 5-2 win over Al Ittihad at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.

With the two goals, Ronaldo pipped Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe to have the most goals in 2023.

Both Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have scored 52 goals in 2023. 

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is the only other player to have 50 strikes in 2023. Get top scorer of 2023 football list.

Top scorers of 2023 in world football

Player	Teams	Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr/Portugal	53
Harry Kane	Bayern Munich/Tottenham/England	52
Kylian Mbappe	Paris Saint-Germain/France	52
Erling Haaland	Manchester City/Norway	50
Romelu Lukaku	AS Roma/Belgium	40

Cristiano Ronaldo | 53 goals

Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been in sensational form in 2023. Since joining Al Nassr after completing his second spell with Manchester United, Ronaldo has scored 43 goals for Al Nassr across club competitions. He is the leading goal-scorer in Saudi Pro League 2023-24 with 19 goals in 17 matches. Ronaldo has also netted 10 goals for Portugal in their Euro 2024 qualifying matches.

Harry Kane | 52 goals

England talisman Harry Kane shares the second spot on the top scorer of 2023 football list. Having joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur this season, Harry Kane has repaid their faith by already netting 25 goals for the Bavarians. Kane is also the leading goalscorer in the Bundesliga this season with 21 goals. The prolific goalkeeper has scored nine goals for England in 2023.

Kylian Mbappe | 52 goals

Paris Saint-Germain star forward Kylian Mbappe has the joint second-most goals in 2023. Even with the departure of Lionel Messi and Neymar from PSG this season, Kylian Mbappe has netted 42 goals in 44 matches. He is currently the highest goalscorer in the Ligue 1 2023-24 with 18 goals, 10 strikes more than second-placed Wissam Ben Yedder of AS Monaco. Mbappe has also scored 10 goals for the France national football team in 2023.

Erling Haaland | 50 goals

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland features fourth on the list. Erling Haaland has continued his brilliant form for the Premier League champions with 44 goals in 2023. Apart from his goals for City, Haaland has netted six goals for the Norway national team in the calendar year. With two matches left in 2023, Haaland could eclipse Ronaldo to be the top scorer of 2023.

Photo credit: Alamy

The UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers started on March 23, 2023 and will conclude on March 26, 2024. 

Organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying tournament will determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams that will join the automatically qualified host team Germany in the UEFA Euro 2024 main tournament.

The 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship is scheduled to be held in 10 venues in Germany from June 14 to July 14 next year.

As many as 53 teams are currently competing in the Euro 2024 qualifying tournament. These participating teams have been divided into 10 groups, with seven groups comprising five teams and three groups featuring six teams.  

According to the format, the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers are being played in a home-and-away, round-robin format on double matchdays in March, June, September, October, and November 2023. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the final tournament.

After the conclusion of the qualifying group stage, the remaining three teams will be decided through the play-offs, to be held in March 2024. 

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s Maksim Samorodov scored the first goal in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying tournament against Slovenia in their Group H clash on matchday 1. 

Despite Maksim’s early strike in the 23rd minute, Kazakhstan went down to Slovenia 1-2 at the Astana Arena in Kazakhstan.

Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo, France talisman Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland of Norway have been the leading goalscorers in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying tournament so far.

Here’s a look at the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers top-scorers list:

UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers top scorers list

Player	Team	Matches played	Goals
Romelu Lukaku	Belgium	7	10
Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	7	9
Harry Kane	England	6	7
Rasmus Højlund	Denmark	8	7
Zeki Amdouni	Switzerland	7	6
Erling Haaland	Norway	5	5
Kylian Mbappé	France	6	6
Scott McTominay	Scotland	6	6
Giorgos Masouras	Greece	7	5
Aleksandar Mitrović	Serbia	6	5

Photo credit: Alamy

The Ballon d'Or 2023 award ceremony was hosted at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France on Tuesday, October 31.

Organised by France Football, the 67th edition of the Ballon d'Or recognised the best footballers in the world in the 2022-23 season.

For the second time in the history of the Ballon d'Or, the award was given based on the results of the season instead of the calendar year, with the season starting on August 1, 2022 and concluding on July 31, 2023. 

Besides the Ballon d'Or men's award,  the Ballon d'Or Féminin, the Kopa Trophy, the Yashin Trophy, the Socrates Award, the Gerd Müller Trophy and the Club of the Year awards were also given out.

Ballon d'Or 2023

Lionel Messi pipped Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé to win a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or.

The 36-year-old guided the Argentina national football team to the FIFA World Cup 2022 title after beating France on penalties in the final.

La Albiceleste clinched their third FIFA World Cup title and their first since 1986.

Messi finished with seven goals and three assists to claim the Golden Ball for best overall player at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Having won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009, Messi later bagged the award in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and now in 2023.

Ballon d'Or Feminin

Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí won the Ballon d'Or Feminin for the first time in her career.

Aitana Bonmatí succeeded her Barcelona and international teammate Alexia Putellas, who won the Ballon d'Or Feminin in 2021 and 2022.

The 25-year-old earlier helped Spain bag their maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand. She also won the Golden Ball award at the tournament.

Bonmatí also guided Barcelona to win La Liga and a second Champions League title. It helped her earn the UEFA Player of the Season award in August.

Kopa Trophy

England and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player. 

Regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the world at the moment, Bellingham has hit the ground running with his new club Real Madrid after enjoying a strong campaign with his former club Borussia Dortmund last season.  

Gerd Muller Trophy

Erling Haaland clinched the Gerd Muller Trophy at the Ballon d'Or 2023 ceremony after powering Manchester City to the treble with the help of his goal-scoring exploits.

The young forward netted 56 goals for Manchester City and Norway to finish as the highest-scoring male player in the 2022-23 season. 

Yachine Trophy

Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez won the Yachine Trophy for being the best goalkeeper in the world at the Ballon d'Or 2023 ceremony.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper played a pivotal role in helping Argentina claim the FIFA World Cup 2022 title in Qatar.

Martinez recorded three clean sheets and also made three crucial penalty saves in the marquee tournament.

The 31-year-old also produced an incredible save to deny France’s Randal Kolo Muani from scoring a winner in the final seconds of extra time in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final.

Sócrates Award

Brazil and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior was awarded the Sócrates Award for starting a foundation that is building schools in impoverished areas and investing in education in Brazil.

Club of the Year

Manchester City won the men’s Club of the Year award at the Ballon d’Or 2023. 

Under manager Pep Guardiola, City won the treble in the 2022-23 season, including the Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League title.

Meanwhile, FC Barcelona Femení was recognised as the women’s Club of the Year at the marquee event.

FC Barcelona Femení was the standout team, having won three titles last season - Liga F, the Spanish Super Cup and the Women's Champions League. Know the Ballon d'Or 2023 winners list.

Ballon d'Or 2023 winners list

Award	Winner
Ballon d'Or	Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina)
Ballon d'Or Feminin	Aitana Bonmatí (FC Barcelona Femení, Spain)
Kopa Trophy for the best male U-21 player	Jude Bellingham
Yachine Trophy for the best male goalkeeper	Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa, Argentina)
Gerd Müller Trophy for the highest-scoring male striker	Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
Sócrates Award to acknowledge humanitarian work	Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid, Brazil)
Club of the Year	Manchester City and FC Barcelona Femení

Photo credit: Alamy

The much-awaited Ballon d'Or 2023 ceremony will take place on Monday, October 30, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. The annual European football awards ceremony will kickstart at 11:30 PM IST.

Earlier, the Ballon d'Or was awarded to the football player who excelled throughout a calendar year. However, ever since last year, there has been a minor change in the criteria.

Similar to 2022, this year will witness the prestigious award being presented to the best player based on their performance in the previous footballing season, from August 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023.

Apart from the 67th Ballon d'Or, several other awards will be presented at the ceremony. The Women's Ballon d'Or will be given to the best female player, and the Kopa Trophy shall be handed over to the best male player under 21. The Yachine Trophy will be given to the top-performing goalkeeper in the men's category.

Regarding the nominees for this year's Ballon d'Or, seven-time winner Lionel Messi is the frontrunner to win a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or, ahead of Erling Haaland, who won the treble with Manchester City as their top-scorer last season. Here are the nominees for the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

Ballon d'Or 2023 nominees

• André Onana �?Manchester United and Cameroon
• Josko Gvardiol �?Manchester City and Croatia
• Karim Benzema �?Al Ittihad and France
• Jamal Musiala �?Bayern Munich and Germany
• Mohamed Salah �?Liverpool and Egypt
• Jude Bellingham �?Real Madrid and England
• Bukayo Saka �?Arsenal and England
• Randal Kolo Muani �?Paris Saint-Germain and France
• Kevin De Bruyne �?Manchester City and Belgium
• Bernardo Silva �?Manchester City and Portugal
• Emiliano Martínez �?Aston Villa and Argentina
• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia �?Napoli and Georgia
• Rúben Dias �?Manchester City and Portugal
• Lautaro Martínez �?Inter Milan and Argentina
• Antoine Griezmann �?Atletico Madrid and France
• Robert Lewandowski �?Barcelona and Poland
• Kylian Mbappé �?Paris Saint-Germain and France
• Kim Min-jae �?Napoli and South Korea
• Victor Osimhen �?Napoli and Nigeria
• Luka Modric �?Real Madrid and Croatia
• Harry Kane �?Bayern Munich and England
• Nicolo Barella �?Inter Milan and Italy
• Erling Haaland �?Manchester City and Norway
• Yassine Bounou �?Al Hilal and Morocco
• Martin Ødegaard �?Arsenal and Norway
• Julián Álvarez �?Manchester City and Argentina
• Ilkay Gündogan �?Barcelona and Germany
• Vinícius Júnior �?Real Madrid and Brazil
• Lionel Messi �?Inter Miami and Argentina
• Rodri �?Manchester City and Spain

The favouite for Ballon d’Or 2023 Lionel Messi enjoyed a great season during the 2022-23 campaign as he provided a whopping 63 goal contributions for club and country.

However, what makes Messi the most likely winner of Ballon d’Or 2023 is his triumphant FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign with Argentina. The Argentine led his country to its third World Cup title in December 2022.

Meanwhile, Messi’s closest contender for the converted prize Erling Haaland also enjoyed a marvellous campaign with Manchester City in the 2022-23 season.

He scored 52 goals and provided 9 assists for Manchester City and finished as the team’s top-scorer in what was a treble-winning campaign for the Blues.

While Messi is eyeing a record eighth Ballon d’Or, Erling Haaland is hoping for his first. Messi has already won the Ballon d’Or seven times, two more than rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won five Ballon d’Ors - the second most after the Argentine legend.

The likes of Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, and Marco van Basten have each won it three times.

Where to watch Ballon d’Or 2023 live in India?

Live telecast of the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony will be available on the Sony TEN 2 and Sony TEN 2 HD TV channels in India. 

Live streaming of the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony will be available on the SonyLiv and JioTV apps and websites in India.

Photo credit: Alamy

Manchester City will welcome Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium this midweek in what is poised to be a potential title decider for the 2022-23 Premier League. The match is slated to begin at 12:30 AM (IST) on Thursday.

Both teams will be desperate for a win with the stakes higher than ever before since both teams are gunning for the Premier League title. While City has won four titles in five years, Arsenal will be hoping to claim their first Premier League crown in 19 years.

MCI vs ARS Dream11 prediction for Premier League 2022-23

Despite being in second place on the points table to Arsenal, Manchester City will be favourites to edge this close contest. The Gunners are top of the table with 75 points from 32 games, while the Citizens have collected 70 points from 30 matches.

Manchester City head into this contest with a 16-game unbeaten streak across competitions, while Arsenal has dropped points in each of their last three Premier League matches. Although Arsenal has the edge in the Premier League head-to-head between the teams having won 23 of the 50 encounters that the teams have contested. City has won 17 games and there have also been 10 draws between these teams in the Premier League.

City though has beaten Arsenal in each of their last 11 Premier League meetings and have also defeated them twice in the ongoing season. Needless to say, the Citizens will head into this contest as the likelier side to win the game and take control of the title race.

MCI vs ARS Dream11 team tips for Premier League 2022-23

Top tip: Best forward - Erling Haaland

Having Erling Haaland in your fantasy football team is certainly a no-brainer. The deadliest striker in Europe with a whopping 48 goals from 42 games in all competitions, Haaland is the leading scorer in the Premier League with 32 goals. He’s also provided five assists in the Premier League and has been a nightmare for opposition defences. Expect him to be on the scoresheet again and help you get precious fantasy football points.

Top tip: Best midfielder - Gabriel Martinelli

An absolute revelation in the Premier League this season, Gabriel Martinelli has exhibited great form of late. He’s netted 15 goals in the league so far, making him the Gunners�?biggest attacking threat. An electric presence on the flanks, Martinelli also has five assists in the league and can prove to be the difference if granted the opportunity by City’s defence.   

Top tip: Best defender - John Stones

The best defender for England at the moment, John Stones�?versatility means he could play anywhere across the backline for City. A ball-playing defender, Stones is more than capable of slotting into midfield when needed and is comfortable going forward besides also being a threat in the opposition box. Strong in set-pieces and in the tackle, having Stones in your fantasy team can help you score big. He’s also provided a couple of assists and has scored once in the Premier League this season.  

Top tip: Best goalkeeper - Aaron Ramsdale

Aaron Ramsdale has kept 12 clean sheets in the league over the course of the campaign but hasn’t managed a shutout in his last three matches. He’s likely to be the busier of the two goalkeepers, meaning the more saves he does pull off could lead to more fantasy points for you.  

Photo credits: Alamy

Bayern Munich will have their task cut out when they welcome Manchester City to the Allianz Arena for the second leg of their 2022-23 Champions League quarter-final. The match will start at 12:30 AM IST. 

The Bavarians trail 0-3 on aggregate after they were brushed aside by a clinical City outfit. Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland were all on the scoresheet for the Engish club in the first leg.

BAY vs MCI Dream11 prediction for Champions League 2022-23

Bayern Munich will be underdogs as they trail 0-3 against a City side that isn’t known for throwing away leads. Bayern, in fact, hasn’t been in great form ever since Thomas Tuchel took over as their new head coach. Under his tutelage, Bayern has won twice, lost twice and drawn once, including a DFB Pokal exit.

City, on the other hand, are in imperious form having won their last 10 matches across all competitions. Bayern needs a miracle to go through to the next round by overturning a 0-3 deficit. Going by form and quality of the teams, City is firm favourites to win this game and qualify for the next round. 

BAY vs MCI Dream11 team tips for Champions League 2022-23

Top tip: Best forward - Erling Haaland

Having Erling Haaland on your fantasy football team is a no-brainer. The most lethal striker in Europe with a whopping 47 goals from 40 games in all competitions, Haaland was on target against Bayern last time around and bagged a brace over the weekend in the Premier League. While he’s not much of a differentiator, having him in your fantasy team almost guarantees points. He’s also provided six assists this season, which shows he can contribute in attack in more ways than one.

Top tip: Best midfielder - Ilkay Gundogan

The engine at the heart of City’s defence, while Ilkay Gundogan may not always get the plaudits reserved for the likes of Bernardo Silva or Kevin de Bruyne, his importance to this City side cannot be underestimated. A contributor both in attack and defence, Gundogan will relish coming up against Bayern in his native Germany. The German international has bagged five goals and just as many assists this season, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he manages to be on the scoresheet against City. After all, he’s proven time and again in the past that he’s the man for the big occasions.

Top tip: Best defender - Joao Cancelo

Joao Cancelo, who is on loan from Man City at Bayern, will be eager to make a positive impression against his parent club. He came on as a substitute in the first leg and didn’t have much of a say in the action. However, with Bayern chasing the match, Cancelo is likely to start thanks to his attacking prowess. He’s got three goals and nine assists over the course of the season while representing both Bayern and City. Expect Cancelo to be at his explosive best against City.

Top tip: Best goalkeeper - Yann Sommer

Yann Sommer can expect another busy night between the post after letting in three goals against City in the first leg. A reliable and consistent goalkeeper, Sommer joined Munich from Borussia Monchengladbach in the January transfer market and has kept his fair share of clean sheets for the Bavarians, making some great saves along the way. He will once again be under the pump against City, meaning the more saves he makes the more fantasy points you earn with him in your team.

Photo credits: Alamy