Six Spanish Players Nominated For 2023 Women's Ballon d'Or Award Including Two Who Sat Out World Cup
Four members of the Spain team that won the 2023 Women's World Cup have been nominated for the Ballon d'Or Feminin.
Salma Paralluelo, Olga Carmona, Alba Redondo and Aitana Bonmati were all included on the 30-player shortlist published on Wednesday.
Fellow Spanish stars Mapi Leon and Patricia Guijarro were also among the 30 nominees.
Leon and Guijarro, who is better known as Patri, did not feature at the World Cup after both players had made themselves unavailable for national team selection in September last year.
The duo, along with 13 other footballers, sent identical emails to the Spanish Football Federation raising serious concerns about the atmosphere and conditions in Jorge Vilda's Spain squad, claiming that they were unhealthy for the mental state of the players.
Vilda was sacked earlier this week - 16 days after leading Spain to victory in the World Cup final.
Patri pictured playing for Barcelona in last season's UEFA Women's Champions League final
IMAGO/Sportpix/David Catry
Midfielder Bonmati is the favorite to win the 2023 women's Ballon d'Or after recently being voted as the Player of the Tournament at the World Cup.
Bonmati is one of six Barcelona players in contention for the prize, which has been won by Alexia Putellas in each of the past two years.
Aitana Bonmati pictured playing for Spain in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final
IMAGO/ZUMA Wire/Kim Price
Putellas will not claim the Ballon d'Or for a third season. The Barca captain was not nominated after her 2022/23 campaign was mostly spent recovering from an ACL injury.
But club teammates Paralluelo, Guijarro, Bonmati, Leon, Fridolina Rolfo and Asisat Oshoala all made Wednesday's list after starring in a Barca side that won both the Liga F and Women's Champions League last term.
Alexia Putellas pictured at the 2022 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony
IMAGO/PanoramiC/JBAutissier
Full List Of Nominees For 2023 Women's Ballon d'Or Award
- Georgia Stanway - England/Bayern Munich
- Kadidiatou Diani - France/Lyon
- Linda Caicedo - Colombia/Real Madrid
- Amanda Ilestedt - Sweden/Arsenal
- Hayley Raso - Australia/Real Madrid
- Sophia Smith - USA/Portland Thorns
- Salma Paralluelo - Spain/Barcelona
- Millie Bright - England/Chelsea
- Hinata Miyazawa - Japan/Manchester United
- Lena Oberdorf - Germany/Wolfsburg
- Daphne van Domselaar - Netherlands/Aston Villa
- Rachel Daly - England/Aston Villa
- Olga Carmona - Spain/Real Madrid
- Fridolina Rolfo - Sweden/Barcelona
- Alba Redondo - Spain/Levante
- Guroo Reiten - Norway/Chelsea
- Sam Kerr - Australia/Chelsea
- Debinha - Brazil/Kansas City Current
- Ewa Pajor - Poland/Wolfsburg
- Patricia Guijarro - Spain/Barcelona
- Yui Hasegawa - Japan/Manchester City
- Alexandra Popp - Germany/Wolfsburg
- Aitana Bonmati - Spain/Barcelona
- Katie McCabe - Ireland/Arsenal
- Jill Roord - Netherlands/Manchester City
- Khadija Shaw - Jamaica/Manchester City
- Mapi Leon - Spain/Barcelona
- Wendie Renard - France/Lyon
- Mary Earps - England/Manchester United
- Asisat Oshoala - Nigeria/Barcelona
