Granit Xhaka is one of the 30 candidates for this year's Ballon d'Or. Kubilay Türkyilmaz sees the national team captain in the top 5, but chooses a Spanish winner. Who will get your vote?
Who will be crowned the best footballer of the 2023/24 season? The Ballon d'Or vote, organized by the trade magazine France Football, will take place in Paris on 28 October. Right in the middle of it all: Granit Xhaka, who is one of the 30 nominees.
According to Kubilay Türkyilmaz, who was the last Swiss player to be selected as one of the final 30 candidates in 1996, Xhaka has a lot to be proud of despite the tough competition. "We can be proud that a Swiss has once again been nominated. Granit Xhaka absolutely deserves it," Kubi emphasizes and in his prediction only sees the Real trio of Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham ahead of the national team captain.
Kubilay Türkyilmaz's top 5
- Daniel Carvajal, Real Madrid
- Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid
- Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid
- Granit Xhaka, Bayer Leverkusen
- Toni Kroos, Real Madrid (retirement)
The candidates at a glance
Of the 30 nominees, most of the players (10) come from the Premier League, closely followed by LaLiga (9). There are also six Bundesliga stars, three players from Serie A and two candidates from the French Ligue 1. The overview:
The 9 candidates from LaLiga 🇪🇸
- Jude Bellingham (midfield, Real Madrid)
- Daniel Carvajal (defense, Real Madrid)
- Vinicius Junior (attack, Real Madrid)
- Toni Kroos (midfield, Real Madrid)
- Antonio Rüdiger (defense, Real Madrid)
- Federico Valverde (midfield, Real Madrid)
- Nico Williams (forward, Athletic Bilbao)
- Lamine Yamal (forward, Barcelona)
- Artem Dovbyk (forward, Girona)
The 10 candidates from the Premier League 🏴
- Erling Haaland (forward, Manchester City)
- Rodri (midfield, Manchester City)
- Phil Foden (midfield, Manchester City)
- Ruben Dias (defense, Manchester City)
- Martin Ødegaard (midfield, Arsenal)
- Declan Rice (midfield, Arsenal)
- Bukayo Saka (attack, Arsenal)
- William Saliba (defense, Arsenal)
- Cole Palmer (midfield, Chelsea)
- Emiliano Martinez (goal, Aston Villa)
The 6 candidates from the Bundesliga 🇩🇪
- Granit Xhaka (midfield, Leverkusen)
- Florian Wirtz (midfield, Leverkusen)
- Alejandro Grimaldo (defense, Leverkusen)
- Mats Hummels (defense, Dortmund)
- Dani Olmo (midfield, RB Leipzig)
- Harry Kane (attack, Bayern Munich)
The 3 candidates from Serie A 🇮🇹
- Hakan Calhanoglu (midfield, Inter Milan)
- Lautaro Martinez (forward, Inter Milan)
- Ademola Lookman (forward, Atalanta)
The 2 candidates from Ligue 1 🇫🇷
- Kylian Mbappé (forward, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Vitinha (midfield, Paris Saint-Germain)
Who will get your vote?
Now it's your turn! Which star earned the golden ball last season? Take part in our poll.
