On Wednesday, France Football announced the final 30 candidates for the award. Among them are Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and Bukayo Saka.

Messi is a seven-time winner of the award for best player in the world, making him the overwhelming favorite once again.

The 36-year-old, who currently plays club football for Inter Miami, was the driving force behind his country’s victory in Qatar last winter. He scored seven goals.Seven members of Manchester City’s championship team made the list, including Haaland, who scored 52 goals for the club previous season.

Ilkay Gundogan, who captained the team in the past and is now with Barcelona, Julian Alvarez, who won the World Cup, Ruben Dias, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, and Bernardo Silva rounded out the starting eleven.

After scoring 40 goals for Tottenham and for the England national team, Harry Kane is rewarded with a transfer to Bayern Munich. Both Bellingham (now of Real Madrid) and Saka (of Arsenal) had successful seasons while playing for England.

For the first time since 2003, five-time champion Cristiano Ronaldo, who now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, was not nominated. Other notable Premier League entries include the World Cup-winning goalkeeper from Aston Villa.

After leading England to the World Cup final, four English wоmen—Rachel Daly, Georgia Stanway, Millie Bright, and Mary Earps—have been nominated for the wоmen’s award.

Earps won the Golden Glove for the tournament’s best goalkeeper, and Daly was the league’s leading scorer for the wоmen’s team.

Champion Aitana Bonmati Olga Carmona, who scored the game-winning goal for Spain in the final, has also been nominated for the award.Bellingham is also a candidate for the award for the best young male player. Rasmus Hojlund, a Danish defender recently signed by Manchester United, and the quartet of Gavi, Pedri, and Alejandro Balde, all of Barcelona, are also in the running.

Goalkeeper of the year nominations also include Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale. Andre Onana, formerly of Inter Milan and now with United, will compete with Ederson of Manchester City for the top prize.