Follow live coverage of today’s ceremony as Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi claims the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time
Michael Bailey, Max Mathews and Michael Dominski
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Vinicius Junior set to win Socrates Award
Also being handed out tonight is the Socrates Award, named after the Brazil icon Socrates, to acknowledge humanitarian work by a footballer.
Sources with knowledge of the case have told me Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior will be winning it tonight, with the vast majority of Vinicius' entourage travelling to Paris. He is expected to make a tribute to the late, great football legend Pele.
His annual investment in the Vini Jr Institute, an education app for poor students, was 335,000 euros in 2022, more than 1 million in 2023 and in 2024 it is going to reach 2.5 million.
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Sarina Wiegman on the schedule
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England boss Sarina Wiegman then had her say on both the fact Lionesses players cannot attend tonight's ceremony, and that there is only one women's category but several men's categories.
She said: "You hope that that develops, too. We talk about the planning now. It would be nice for them.
"Everyone's working so hard, of course we have to do our job. That's what we're here for. So you can't attend that. It will be really nice if things like that are organised that players have the opportunity to join too."
Stanway frustration at women's schedule
None of the England women's players can be there in Paris tonight because of preparation for their match against Belgium tomorrow, and in her pre-game press conference Stanway went on to say she wishes the game was planned differently to allow players to attend.
She added:"Yeah, it is (frustrating). Because it's potentially a once in a lifetime opportunity. You never know if you're ever going to get selected for such an accolade like that again.
"So it would be really nice to enjoy the experience and be there and feel like a star amongst the stars. If it was planned a little bit better then maybe it would be easier for a lot of female footballers to be there."
England's Stanway discusses nomination
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England midfielder Georgia Stanway is preparing for their Nations League clash in Belgium tomorrow, but ahead of the game took the time to discuss her Ballon d'Or nomination.
She said: "It's very cool. It's nice to get the accolade as well as a lot of team-mates in the Lionesses. There's a few people that I would also add to the list that have had very, very successful years.
"It's a real achievement to be amongst those names. It's unfortunate that we couldn't be there. That's something that we spoke as a player group and we said it would be nice in the future if it wasn't on a matchday minus one so we could enjoy the experience."
Breaking news: Rubiales banned for three years
Luis Rubiales has been banned from "all football-related activities" for three years by FIFA after kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup final.
Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish FA, was found to have breached article 13 of the FIFA disciplinary code.
Rubiales faced calls to quit after kissing Hermoso on the lips and grabbing his crotch in celebration shortly after the final whistle as Spain beat England on Sunday.
He apologised for grabbing his crotch but maintained that the kiss was consensual, saying it was “the same as the one I would give to one of my daughters”. Hermoso has denied she consented to the kiss, saying she “will not tolerate that my word is doubted.”
Who won last year?
In 2022, the award was based on the (2021-2022) season rather than what happened during the calendar year.
Real Madrid and France's Karim Benzema won the men's award for the first time, with Spain's Alexia Putellas winning the women's gong for the second year in a row.
Barcelona's Gavi won the Kopa Trophy for the best global player under the age of 21, Thibaut Courtois won the Yashin Trophy (essentially, 'Best Goalkeeper') and Robert Lewandowski took the Gerd Muller Trophy (basically 'Best Striker').
All five awards, and more, will be on the line tonight.
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Ballon d'Or 2023: How to watch for free
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Fans can tune in to the ceremony via the below methods. Obviously, alongside our wonderful live blog right here.
UK: (French newspaper) L'Equipe's YouTube channel, TNT Sports' website (streaming), TNT Sports 2, Discovery+, BBC Red Button (TV)
US/Canada: Paramount+
International: (French newspaper) L'Equipe's YouTube channel
When and where is tonight's ceremony?
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The glitzy shindig is hosted at the Theatre du Chatelet in France's capital Paris.
It's expected to start at around 8pm GMT in the UK, 1pm PT and 4pm ET in the US.
Hello and welcome to today's coverage of the 2023 Ballon d'Or
Hello, or, given our location tonight, perhaps I should say bienvenue (yes, I did French for my GCSEs).
What event pits Lionel Messi against Erling Haaland against Jude Bellingham against Aitana Bonmati against Mary Earps?
Of course, it's the 2023 edition of the ultra-prestigious, ultra-glamorous Ballon d'Or in Paris, France.
Who will be crowned football's king and queen this year? Stick around to find out.
