Women's Ballon d'Or 2023: Spain dominate nominations shortlist

Last week's Football Now episode looked at the men's candidates. This week, we take a look at the nominations for the women's award.

It's been another groundbreaking year for the progress of women's football. The 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand was a huge success. Many are viewing the tournament as a watershed moment for the sport. Spain were crowned champions of the world after a 1-nil win over England in Sydney.

It was also a successful year for Spanish football at the club level. Barcelona won the league and the European double, defeating Wolfsburg in the women's Champions League final in Eindhoven. Barcelona were 2-0 down at half-time, but goals from Patricia Guijarro and Fridolina Rolfö secured a historic comeback.

Performing well at the World Cup will influence the candidates in the Ballon d'Or, and the men's 2022 Qatar World Cup is no different. Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are expected to compete for the Best Player of the Year award. Spain's female team have received five nominations because of their triumph in Oceania, even if antics off the pitch overshadowed it. The team was successful in Australia despite these issues.

Semra Hunter, presenter for La Liga TV, explained to Football Now how progression at the club level in the game has positively influenced the national team.

"I feel like the Federation would love to take credit and say that they're the reason why Spain won the World Cup, but pretty much anybody who follows women's football closely in Spain will tell you that's really not the case," explained Semra.

"It's actually the other way around. At the club level, things have been progressing and developing for the last several years now to the point that it's actually had a spill-over effect.