Nicolò Barella is also among the 30 candidates for the Ballon d'Or , the most prestigious individual football award, which will be officially awarded on 30 October.
The big favorite after winning the World Cup is Lionel Messi . But in the meantime the list has been issued, with the other 29 contenders. The presence of Barella stands out, in his second nomination: the Cagliaritan, the only Italian candidate, had already finished in the 30 in 2021 , the day after the triumph at the European Championships. On that occasion he finished twenty-sixth.
Among the contenders, three other Serie A players: Neapolitans Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia and Interista Lautaro Martinez , as well as Onana and Kim, who left for the Premier League and Bundesliga during the summer transfer market session.
The "record" for a Sardinian remains with Gianfranco Zola , who in 1995 reached sixth place. Nicolò Barella will hardly reach that peak in this edition of the Ballon d'Or, but in the meantime he consolidates his position in the Olympus of international football.
Here is the complete list of candidates: Kylian Mbappé, Kim Min-jae, Luka Modrić, Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski, Antoine Griezmann, Lautaro Martínez, Lionel Messi, Rodri, Martin Ødegaard, Ilkay Gündogan, Julián Álvarez, Yassine Bono, Victor Osimhen , Vinícius Júnior, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Emiliano Martínez, Erling Haaland, Nicoló Barella, Rubén Dias, Karim Benzema, Joško Gvardiol, Jamal Musiala, André Onana, Mohamed Salah, Randal Kolo Muani, Jude Bellingham, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Bukayo Saka .
(Unioneonline/L.Ne.)
