City’s 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees

Julian Alvarez

Every player in City’s squad has made history in the last 12 months, but Alvarez went one step further by becoming the first player ever to win the Treble and the World Cup in the same campaign.

Alvarez shone as a No.9 in Qatar, acting as the perfect foil for Lionel Messi and scoring four times as La Albiceleste went all the way.

His first few months in Manchester before that success had shown promise, but he reached another level upon his return.

Unable to play regularly as the furthest forward at City due to Erling Haaland’s form, Alvarez found a role in support of the Norwegian and as a more than able deputy.

In the end, he scored 17 goals in 49 appearances in his debut season in Europe either side of the life-defining achievement of lifting the World Cup.

The 2023/24 season has seen him continue to go from strength to strength, playing in partnership with Haaland and finding the net with increasing regularity.

His composure in front of goal is perhaps best exemplified by the finish to beat Newcastle back in August – an unerring arrow fired straight into the top corner.

Kevin De Bruyne

Already a City legend before the 2022/23 campaign kicked off, De Bruyne enjoyed perhaps his best campaign in sky blue as we won the Treble.

His connection with Erling Haaland was instantaneous, setting the Norwegian up for a goal on the opening day of the Premier League season.

His slide rule pass perfectly weighted for the Norwegian to run on to and tuck home in the assured fashion we have become used to.

That understanding continued throughout the campaign as De Bruyne smashed his way to three figures in terms of Premier League assists in record time. It took him just 237 games, a whopping 56 quicker than the previous best.

His eight assists for Haaland in the Premier League is the most one City player has assisted another in a single season in the competition.

He registered an astonishing 28 assists in all competitions in 2022-23, eight more than any other player from Europe’s top five leagues.

Kevin created an average of 3.4 chances per 90 minutes in all competitions in 2022-23, the best rate of any Premier League player with a minimum 1000 minutes played – so that pans out at one goal-scoring chance made every 25 minutes of every game he played last season.

There was pain too. Suffering with an injury during the closing weeks of the season but soldiering on with history on the horizon, De Bruyne continued to perform at the world-leading level we had all become used to.

An outstanding moment came in the semi-final first leg at Real Madrid, when his thunderous effort whistled beyond Thibaut Courtois and ensured we would take them back to Manchester all square.

That was until his heartbreaking early exit in the Champions League final. Sitting down with 10 minutes to go in the first half, it was clear the Belgian could not continue.

He was replaced by Phil Foden and later confirmed it was the hamstring that had plagued him in the previous weeks.

However, City got over the line and the seismic achievement was sealed.

Our man hasn’t been fully fit since, forced off early in our Premier League opener in the 2023/24 campaign but his impact on the best team in Europe last season was so profound that he’s still a contender for this award.

Ruben Dias

There was a point in the 2022/23 campaign – either side of the winter World Cup – where it appeared Dias’ influence on the side may not have been as strong as it previously was.

After a consistent run throughout much of the early season, Dias returned from Qatar with a hamstring injury and was not back in the starting lineup until February.

From that point on, he didn’t look back. Starting with a solid 90 minutes in the decisive trip to Arsenal, Dias was the very foundation of our winning run that made us favourites across all three competitions we would go on to win in 2022/23.

Our defence was suddenly impenetrable for Europe’s elite sides, with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid both failing to score at the Etihad.

It was crushing victories at home that took us all the way to the final and it was Dias, along with John Stones and Ederson, that made the scoreline so convincing.

He played every single minute for 11 straight Premier League games as we effectively sealed the title while he was one of the first names on the teamsheet for the FA Cup final with Manchester United.

A captain on the pitch without wearing the armband, Dias brings a sense of calm and leadership to the rest of the side.

He’s also a key component of our buildup play.

In all competitions, the 26-year-old completed the second highest number of passes in a sky blue shirt (bettered only by Rodrigo) with 3180.

This also saw him record the second highest in the Premier League (1921) and Champions League (907), again only the Spanish midfielder recorded more.

Josko Gvardiol

The only man on the list that wasn’t at City in 2022/23, Gvardiol gained the world’s attention with incredible performances at the World Cup.

The left-footer played every single second as Croatia finished third in Qatar, conceding only three goals as they went past the likes of Belgium, Japan and Brazil before coming up against eventual winners Argentina.

Still just 21, Gvardiol made it obvious that he was a defender already at the very top of his game in that tournament.

For those that weren’t already aware that is, with Gvardiol already in his second season as a regular for Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig.

Their Champions League journey was ended at the Round of 16 stage by City, but Gvardiol still impressed and got on the scoresheet himself in the first leg draw in Germany.

Since moving to Manchester, Gvardiol has slotted in seamlessly. Mostly featuring at left-back, the Croatian has demonstrated just how capable he is with the ball at his feet while proving he’s unflappable in defence.

City fans have instantly taken a liking to the new defender and that relationship only looks set to blossom as Gvardiol’s career develops.

Erling Haaland

Undoubtedly one of football’s biggest stars, Haaland spent his first season in Manchester smashing as many records as he could.

By whatever metric you wish to measure his impact by, the 23-year-old Norwegian’s contribution to City’s Treble winning campaign was of a magnitude never seen before in this country.

The cumulative total of 52 goals in all competitions represented the biggest haul ever by a Premier League player.

Along the way to hitting that landmark, he also created another slice of notable history with his tally of 36 goals also seeing him break the record previously held by Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer for the most Premier League strikes in a single season.

A five-goal special during March’s 7-0 Champions League last 16 second leg win over RB Leipzig sawg him score the most goals in a single season for the Club, overhauling the previous tally of 38 set by Tommy Johnstone – a record that had stood the test of time since the 1928/29 campaign.

The striker also plundered six hat-tricks in all competitions – as many as every other Premier League player combined.

He quickly established an almost telepathic partnership with assist king Kevin De Bruyne, the Belgian providing eight Premier League assists for Haaland across 2022/23 - the most that one player assisted another.

Haaland was voted both the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year – gaining more than 80 per cent of the votes cast – as well as the Premier League Player of the Year.

His 2023/24 campaign has started with another eight Premier League goals in his first eight games as he seeks the seemingly impossible – to replicate a campaign as special as 2022/23.

Rodrigo

The Spaniard was at the heart of everything Pep Guardiola’s historic team did in 2022/23. So much so, it's impossible to imagine the Treble of 2022/23 happening without the 27-year-old's ever reliable presence in the centre of the pitch.

It was fitting that it was him that would score the goal that sealed the team’s status as one of the best of all time.

He played in 56 of our 61 games as we went all the way in the FA Cup and Champions League and again retained our Premier League title.

In fact, no one in City's squad could match Rodrigo's 4,478 minutes on the pitch across the campaign.

Stationed at the base of midfield, in the position which Guardiola spent his career, Rodrigo dictated the tempo of our play on the ball and our defensive shape out of possession.

Joined at stages in the deep role by inverted full backs and then John Stones in his complex hybrid position, it's Rodrigo that gives Guardiola what he craves most on a football pitch. Control.

When you compare his 2022/23 numbers to his counterparts around England and Europe, you find a midfielder at the top of the global game.

His 4,068 passes and 466 ball recoveries across all competitions was the most of any Premier League player.

He finished the 2022-23 Premier League season with the most ball carries (702), the most progressive carries (384), the highest total carry distance (7,421 metres) and the highest carry progress (3,953 metres) of any midfielder.

He also added that essential final element to his game, scoring goals at vital stages.

The most vital of all was in Istanbul, stepping on to the deflected cross with a calm, composed pass into the corner of the net.

The celebrations were wild and UEFA also recognised his impact, naming him Champions League Player of the Season.

The new season has seen him resume his role at the very centre of Pep’s team.

Bernardo Silva

The busiest season in Bernardo’s seven years at City in terms of appearances, the Portuguese playmaker was heavily trusted by Pep Guardiola on our way to the Treble.

In total, the skilful forward made 55 appearances in all competitions in 2022/23 - the second highest amongst his colleagues.

His immense versatility was highlighted as he played 23 times a central midfielder, 14 times on the right side of midfield and on occasion at left-back – most impressively in our vital 3-1 win away to Arsenal in February.

In particular, the 29-year-old was the first choice on the right wing throughout our run to the Champions League final.

His ability to retain the ball even in the tightest of spaces and his tireless energy in and out of possession made him the perfect option for Pep when seeking control high up the pitch.

Just looking at his average distanced travelled in the Premier League shows how vital he is to Guardiola’s demands off the ball. That figure stands at 11.8 kilometres per 90 minutes – the most of any City player last year.

In fact, Bernardo accounted for each of the top three highest distances covered in a single league game by a City player in 2022/23.

So far this season, he’s fought off injuries to be a central figure – again proving his versatility at the base of midfield in the absence of Rodrigo.

Yui Hasegawa

A classy operator on the ball and a fierce competitor off it, Hasegawa is the best proof yet that size isn’t the most important factor when it comes to building a footballer.

Playing in a deeper role than previous during her first season at City following a summer move from West Ham United, Hasegawa's artillery of attributes helped her become one of our standout performers across the campaign.

The Japan international attempted 1126 passes, with a completion rate of 89%. She won 83 duels while also making 38 tackles and 40 interceptions, defining the art of a deep-lying midfielder.

Hasegawa didn’t need time to adapt to her new surroundings, grabbing a goal in a player of the match display on her debut, as City beat Leicester 4-0 in October.

She showed the importance of positioning off the ball, helping shift play from one side of the pitch to the other and regaining possession high up the pitch as City dominated at the Academy Stadium.

That form continued and was reflected in her hugely impressive passing numbers, attempting the third-most of any midfielder in the WSL last season.

Her average per 90 came to 56.8 attempts, with an incredible 50.5 finding their intended target, the best success rate of anyone in her position.

Our midfielder then played a key role in the Japan side at this summer’s World Cup that captured everyone’s attention before falling at quarter-final stage.

And as we saw in RISE, the recent City Studios documentary on last season, Hasegawa is loved by all of her team-mates and coaches alike.

Jill Roord

Gareth Taylor believes Jill Roord is already one of the best midfielders in the world but has the ability to become the undisputed leader in that position.

The Dutch international lifted the German Cup and reached the final of the Champions League with Wolfsburg as she played 40 times and scored 13 goals in 2022/23.

A star for the Netherlands on their run to the quarter-finals at this summer’s World Cup before they were knocked out by eventual winners Spain, Roord’s signing was something of a coup for City.

And she’s wasted no time making an impression on the Barclays Women’s Super, scoring three goals in her first three appearances.

It’s early days in blue for the midfielder but Taylor is excited by what he has seen so far.

"She has this sense of arriving in the right moment," he said in a recent press conference.

"She is really eager to learn. We brought her here knowing one of the best in that position in the world and we want to make her the best.

"There’s a long way to go but she has that willingness to learn and adapt.

"I have to give credit to the players and the environment here with allowing her to be herself. That’s really important.

"I've been really impressed with her."

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw

The undisputed star of City’s 2022/23 campaign. Her exploits saw her named Women’s Player of the Season in a fan vote, while she was also shortlisted for the Barclays Women’s Super League’s equivalent award.

The Jamaican forward broke new ground by notching 31 goals in all competitions, a record across a single campaign for our women’s team.

She achieved that tally in just 30 matches, meaning she found the net at a rate greater than once per game.

When you add nine assists onto that total, her overall goal involvements for the campaign stand at an incredible 40.

The Jamaican scored 20 of those goals in the WSL, two in as many UEFA Women’s Champions League matches, two in two Continental Cup fixtures and an astonishing seven in three FA Cup appearances.

Bunny also carries the weight of being a footballing icon at home in Jamaica and was vital in helping the Reggae Girlz reach the knockouts of the World Cup for the first time holding both France and Brazil to draws.

After an injury, the striker now appears ready to test the numbers she put down in the last campaign.