The Ballon d'Or and Inter: candidates, Nerazzurri winners and fun facts

There are moments in a footballer’s life that can mark their career forever. A goal, a match, a trophy: important achievements that win the hearts of the fans. Amongst them, the Ballon d’Or occupies a special and magical spot: the France Football award turns a champion into a legend and rightfully projects them into the Olympus of the footballing world. 

On the evening of Monday 30 October, the award ceremony for the presentation of the 2023 Ballon d’Or is taking place in Paris, where the best player of the past season is awarded, voted for by a jury of 100 journalists from all over the world, each representing one of the top 100 countries in the FIFA ranking. 

The jury votes by choosing from a shortlist of 30 nominees, chosen by the editors of France Football and L'Équipe together with Didier Drogba, ambassador of the Ballon d'Or, and a journalist outside the 100 voters, awarded for being able to guess the podium of the previous edition.

Amongst the 30 nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, there are two Inter players, Nicolò Barella and Lautaro Martinez. This is the complete list, which also includes André Onana, Nerazzurro last year, now Manchester United player: 

• Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)

• Nicolò Barella (INTER)

• Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

• Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

• Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal)

• Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

• Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

• Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

• Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)

• Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City)

• Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

• Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

• Kim Min-Jae (Bayern Munich)

• Randal Kolo Mouani (PSG)

• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)

• Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)

• Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

• Lautaro Martinez (INTER)

• Kylian Mbappé (PSG)

• Lionel Messi (Miami)

• Luka Modric (Real Madrid)

• Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)

• Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

• André Onana (Manchester United)

• Victor Osimhen (Napoli)

• Rodri (Manchester City)

• Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

• Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

• Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

To be among the nominees for the Ballon d’Or is an honour reserved for few players: it means being among the 30 best players in the world. It’s not the first time for Barella and Lautaro: this is the second nomination for both of them, they were both included in the shortlist in 2021, the year of the 19th Nerazzurro Scudetto. That time, the Argentine ranked 21st, the Italian 26th. 

These are the official reasons why France Football certified the nomination of the two Nerazzurri.

NERAZZURRI BALLON D’OR WINNERS

LOTHAR MATTHÄUS Number 10, complete midfielder and the driving force of a record-breaking Inter: Lothar Matthäus was the first Inter player to win the Ballon d’Or. In 1990, France Football presented him with the award after Lothar won the Italia ‘90 World Cup with West Germany. 

Matthäus presented his Ballon d’Or to the Nerazzurri fans at San Siro on 10 March 1991, before Inter vs Juventus, which ended 2-0 with a goal scored by the German. Lothar was celebrated in a ceremony that saw children wearing Inter and Germany shirts.

RONALDO  4 January 1998, on a cold Winter Sunday, Inter were ready to return to the pitch after the league’s Christmas break. An important match against Juventus awaited the Nerazzurri; once again, the match was preceded by celebrations for an Interista Ballon d’Or winner. It was Luis Nazario de Lima, known by everyone as Ronaldo, il Fenomeno, who on that very evening, provided the assist for Youri Djorkaeff’s winning goal following an incredible run down the line. 

The first Brazilian ever to receive the France Football award, Ronaldo who arrived at Inter the previous July, made the Nerazzurri fans dream; on that day, they embraced their champion, celebrating his unparalleled greatness. After winning the 1997 edition, Ronaldo would be crowned again in 2002, after winning the World Cup as top scorer with Brazil.

BALLON D’OR DREAM TEAM

Two extraordinary players, two footballers who won the Ballon d’Or wearing the Nerazzurro shirt. Two legends, who in 2020, were included in the ‘Ballon d’Or Dream Team,’ the best eleven in history selected by the Ballon d’Or jury after the historic French magazine decided not to present the award that year. 

Here is the Dream Team, made up of the best players from 1956 to 2020: 

Yashin; Cafù, Beckenbauer, Maldini; Maradona, Xavi, Matthäus, Pelé; Messi, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo.

THE OTHER WINNERS

Whilst Matthäus and Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or whilst playing for Inter, there are other players who have won the France Football award before or after their Inter careers. For example, Luis Suárez (1960, Barcelona), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1980 and 1981, Bayern Munich), Roberto Baggio (1993, Juventus), Matthias Sammer (1996, Borussia Dortmund), Luís Figo (2000, Barcelona) and Fabio Cannavaro (2006, Real Madrid).

BONUS TRACK: ALL OF INTER’S NOMINEES IN HISTORY

There have been 33 players in Inter’s history who have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, from 14 different nationalities. The Nerazzurro player to have received the most nominees is Sandro Mazzola with 9, followed by Giacinto Facchetti with 8. Matthäus, Ronaldo and Suárez complete the podium. In addition to victories, there have been 8 Nerazzurri players on the podium: six in second place and two in third. 

Luis Suárez came in 2nd place in 1961 (winner: Sivori) and in 1964 (winner: Law), Facchetti in 1965 (winner: Eusebio), Mazzola in 1971 (winnder: Cruyff), Matthäus in 1991 (winner: Papin), Dennis Bergkamp in 1993 (winner: Baggio). 

Andreas Brehme came third in 1990, whilst Ronaldo came third in 1998. 

Below are the details of all the Inter nominees by edition and final position:

• 1958 -> Skoglund 19th

• 1960 -> Angelillo 23rd

• 1961 -> Suarez 2nd

• 1962 -> Suarez 15th

• 1963 -> Suarez 8th

• 1964 -> Suarez 2nd, Corso 7th, Facchetti and Mazzola 19th

• 1965 -> Facchetti 2nd, Mazzola 8th, Corso 15th

• 1966 -> Corso 11th, Mazzola 14th

• 1967 -> Mazzola 10th, Facchetti 20th

• 1968 -> Facchetti 8th, Mazzola 17th, Domenghini 24th

• 1970 -> Mazzola 8th, Facchetti 18th

• 1971 -> Mazzola 2nd, Facchetti 13rd

• 1972 -> Mazzola 15th

• 1973 -> Facchetti 12th, Mazzola 14th

• 1975 -> Facchetti 27th

• 1980 -> Prohaska 7th (Austria Vienna/Inter), Altobelli 27th

• 1984 -> Rummenigge 8th (Bayer/Inter)

• 1985 -> Rummenigge 5th

• 1986 -> Altobelli 10th

• 1987 -> Altobelli 30th

• 1988 -> Matthaus 6th (Bayern/Inter), Zenga 17th

• 1989 -> Matthaus 4th, Brehme 14th

• 1990 -> Matthaus 1st, Brehme 3rd, Klinsmann 6th, Zenga 12th

• 1991 -> Matthaus 2nd

• 1993 -> Bergkamp 2nd (Ajax/Inter)

• 1996 -> Djorkaeff 9th (Psg/Inter), Kanu 14th (Ajax/Inter)

• 1997 -> Ronaldo 1st (Barcellona/Inter), Djorkaeff 12th

• 1998 -> Ronaldo 3rd

• 1999 -> Vieri 7th (Lazio/Inter), Kanu 23rd (Inter/Arsenal), Ronaldo 23rd

• 2000 -> Hakan Sukur 18th (Galatasaray/Inter), Blanc 27th

• 2002 -> Ronaldo 1st (Inter/Real Madrid)

• 2003 -> Toldo 22nd

• 2004 -> Adriano 6th

• 2005 -> Adriano 7th

• 2006 -> Vieira 16th (Juventus/Inter)

• 2007 -> Ibrahimovic 7th

• 2008 -> Ibrahimovic 9th

• 2009 -> Eto'o 5th (Barcelona/Inter), Ibrahimovic 7th (Inter/Barcelona), Julio Cesar 21st

• 2010 -> Sneijder 4th, Eto'o 12th, Maicon 17th, Julio Cesar 19th

• 2011 -> Forlan 7th (Atletico/Inter), Sneijder 12th

• 2021 -> Lukaku 12th (Inter/Chelsea), Lautaro 21st, Barella 26th