Manchester United’s star forward Marcus Rashford has been snubbed from the prestigious Ballon d’Or nominations list despite scoring more than Lionel Messi. Rashford netted thirty goals with eleven assists in his fifty-six appearances for the Red Devils in the season 2022-2023, while Messi had twenty-one goals to his name in forty-one matches in the season 2022-2023.
Seventeen out of those thirty goals for Marcus Rashford came in the Premier League for Manchester United. The rest of the goals were scored by him in the UEFA Europa League and the EFL Cup. The Manchester-born player consistently performed for the Red Devils in the previous season. Whenever United’s talisman received the ball and went to the opposition’s box, it seemed like he would end up scoring.
Marcus Rashford NOT been included in Ballon d’Or nominee list. ❌ #MUFC
30 goals and 11 assists in 56 games for Rashford in season 2022/23 with Man United. pic.twitter.com/keZrTDLUdD
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 6, 2023
The 25-year-old had a fantastic 2022–2023 season in the Premier League. Throughout the season, he found himself isolated at the top, and he used his blistering pace to run behind the opposition defense to wreak havoc. The player also contributed equally in the domestic competitions and helped United win the EFL Cup (Carabao Cup) by scoring six goals in six matches.
Players in the Ballon d’Or 2023 Nominee list
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland are leading the list of nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2023. The winner will be announced in October in the capital city of France. The Théâtre du Chatelet will host the show. On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo has not been nominated for the first time in the last twenty years.
Messi helped Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami win the League Cup; the Argentinian also took them to the final of the U.S. Open Cup. The 36-year-old helped his national team, Argentina, lift the FIFA World Cup in 2022, replicating Diego Maradona’s success 36 years later.
Erling Haaland won the Golden Boot for the Premier League season 2022-2023 with Manchester City. The Norwegian has been on a goal-scoring spree ever since joining the club. Haaland scored a record-breaking tally of 36 goals in his first season in the league for Manchester City. The talisman also bagged the Premier League’s Player of the Season award and the PFA Player of the Season award.
Other names in the nominees are Karim Benzema, Andre Onana (goal-keeper), Kim Min-Jae, Nicolo Barella, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Jude Bellingham, Bernardo Silva, Emiliano Martinez (goal-keeper), Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Rodri, Robert Lewandowski, Luka Modric, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Antoine Griezmann, Mohamed Salah, Ilkay Gundogan, Victor Osimhen, Vinicius Junior, Yassine Bounou (goal-keeper), Julian Alvarez, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Jamal Musiala, Randal Kolo Muani, Josko Gvardiol, and Lautaro Martinez.