Who are the favorites to win the women’s Ballon d’Or 2023? Bonmati, Popp, Pajor…

The 67th edition of the Ballon d’Or will be celebrated at Théâtre du Châtelet on the banks of the River Seine in Paris on Monday night. This will be the fifth time that the women’s award, the Ballon d’Or Féminin will be presented and there is a strong possibility that it will be heading to Spain for the third year running.

Barcelona Femení midfielder Alexia Putellas is the current holder, having won the previous two editions. This year, Spain has six nominees for the award: Aitana Bonmatí, Olga Carmona, Salma Paralluelo, Patri Guijarro, Mapi León and Alba Redondo - all of whom were instrumental in steering La Roja to their first World Cup title last summer.

Also in the running is Germany captain Alexandra Popp and her VfL Wolfsburg team mate, Ewa Pajor as well as England skipper Millie Bright and fellow national team mates Rachel Daly, Mary Earps and Georgia Stanway - runners-up in this year’s World Cup. Among the dark horses are Real Madrid sensation Linda Caicedo and Australia star Sam Kerr, who finished third in the 2021 and 2022 editions.

The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award in world football and is awarded to the best players for their performances and achievements over the course of a whole season. Let’s look at who are the favorites to be crowned the best player in the world this year.

Aitana Bonmatí

Aitana Bonmatí is the great favorite to win the award - for what she has done out on the pitch and for the array of silverware she has won during an unforgettable year. She took the reins to lead Barcelona Femení after two-time Ballon d’Or Alexia suffered a serious ACL injury which required surgery and a long spell on the sidelines. Aitana’s talent and leadership was right at the fore as Barça were crowned Liga F champions for the fourth time in a row in May. That was just the start. A fortnight later, the Blaugranas lifted the Women’s Champions League in Eindhoven with Aitana as the tournament’s MVP, finishing among six players as the joint second top scorers with five goals.

At international level, things were about to get even better for the 25-year-old La Masia graduate. She was part of the Spain side that were the surprise package at the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia. Spain enjoyed a brilliant campaign, taking some major scalps on the way to the final and Aitana had a central role from start to finish, delivering the national team’s first major trophy after being European champions England in the final. She was presented with the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player with three goals.

A differential player, with an excellent vision of the game and technique. Aitana makes a vital contribution to her team, scoring goals herself or setting up her team mates. A selfless leader, she also has a great capacity to help out with her fair share of defensive work whenever the team needs it.

Alexandra Popp

At 32, Alexandra Popp is by far the most experienced player among this year’s candidates. Capped 133 times by Germany, she is the third top scorer of all-time for the national team with 66 goals. At club level, she is one of the most decorated players in the Frauen-Bundesliga having won the league seven times with Wolfsburg and finishing last season as the top scorer with 16 goals. Popp and her team lifted the DFB-Pokal Frauen in May - the club’s 10th title, a record. But there was disappointment in the Champions League - Popp was on target in the final, but Die Wölfinnen ended losing 3-2 to Barcelona. There was some consolation as she was voted Women’s Footballer of the Year for the first time.

Alexandra and Aitana are also among the nominees for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2023 award.

Ewa Pajor

Polish forward Ewa Pajor lined up alongside Alexandra Popp, leading Wolfsburg’s attack in that fateful Champions League final. She opened the scoring at Philips Stadion with a stunning strike from 25 yards out - her ninth goal of the tournament which she ended as the top scorer. A consistently prolific goal scorer since she joined Wolfsburg as a 18-year-old in 2015, she was top scorer in the Frauen-Bundesliga in 2018-19 with 24 goals. Strong, determined with an acute sense of positioning, movement and an assassin’s eye for goal, Ewa’s goals come in all shapes and sizes - one of the best poachers in the women’s game, you can guarantee that she will be lurking in the box to finish off a move. As demonstrated by her 78 goals for club and 57 at full international level for Poland.

Olga Carmona

Real Madrid’s marauding wing-back was decisive for Spain at the World Cup and now, at 23 years old, she is in the best moment of her career. Olga made her top flight debut with her hometown club Sevilla in 2017, aged just 17. Two years later, she signed for Real Madrid where her development has been exponential. Hard-working in defence and tireless going forward, her forays up the left wing gave Spain a crucial edge at last summer’s World Cup. With her two goals - against Sweden in the semi-final and her winner against England in the final showed she has no fear of looking for goal if she’s in space. Like Iniesta’s in South Africa in 2010, her strike in the final in Sydney is indelibly etched in Spanish football history.