Emi Martinez Ruffles Mbappe and Deschamps Again: Inside the Ballon d’Or Ceremony That Was

• The 2023 Ballon d'Or winners were widely known way before the actual ceremony on October 30
• Lionel Messi and Aitana Bonmati won the main awards of the night after their World Cup victories
• Sports Brief looks at some of the key issues in a ceremony that was dominated by a non-footballer

Lionel Messi winning the 2023 Ballon d'Or award was one of the worst-kept secrets in modern football history.

From the 'we will see who lied' Fabrizio Romano confirming it a week earlier to tabloids running stories of Messi booking his flight to Paris, it was clear as Erling Haaland scoring from close range that it would be another crowning moment for the Argentine.

Long gone are the days when we would wait pensively and patiently to know who the winner was.

Apart from taking away the element of surprise, the 2023 Ballon d'Or failed on a couple of fronts. For starters, women's football continued to be sidelined, with only the Women's Ballon d'Or title up for grabs in contrast to the four categories on the men's side.

When Mourinho explained why Messi would beat Ronaldo to Ballon d'Or count

Football

The Socrates Award had nominees from both genders, but it was Vinicius Junior who won it.

Novak Djokovic stirs debate

As if the lack of proper recognition wasn't enough, Novak Djokovic was invited on stage to award the trophy to Aitana Bonmati.

Nothing against the tennis legend, but it was distasteful for the Serbian, who previously rattled fans when he said men need to be paid more than women because they 'attract more interest'.

He might have changed his stance since, but his being given the chance to hand Bonmati her award in light of the recent happenings in the women's game was clearly not well thought out.

Gary Lineker was brought out for Erling Haaland's Gerd Muller Award, David Beckham for Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or; see the pattern? The likes of Megan Rapinoe, Jill Ellis, or even Marta would have made more sense. Or a male legend who has always stood for the women's game like Ian Wright.

Super Ballon d'Or: Inside look at what it entails as Messi, Haaland go head to head

Football

To make matters worse, Bonmati's trophy wasn't handed to her when she arrived on the podium. It took one of the support staff to give the Spanish international her golden ball before Didier Drogba moved in to save face.

The scheduling of the ceremony right in the middle of the international break matches also reinforces the idea that women's game is still an afterthought.

Mbappe, Deschamps rattled by Emi Martinez

Earlier, the world had been treated to another round of the cold war between Emi Martinez and the French fans. As the divisive figure received his Yachine Trophy, he was met with boos as the organisers played that crucial save he made against Randal Kolo Muani.

Whether by default or by design, the cameras zoomed in on Kylian Mbappe and Didier Deschamps just as the save was being replayed. From their facial expressions, they were not amused and it risked opening wounds from last December.

Why Man City's treble winning star has ruled himself out Ballon d'Or race in favour of Messi

Football

The coach and his captain put on a stern face as they possibly remembered how the Aston Villa goalkeeper celebrated afterwards. Drogba, as he often saved Chelsea so many times in the past, stepped in again and asked the audience to be respectful.

Be that as it may, one gets a feeling from Mbappe's facial expression that he will be angling for a rematch against Martinez to set the record straight. Here is the video of that incident.

IShowSpeed at the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony

Lastly, depending on how you see it, Youtuber iShowspeed was ungovernable. From barking every time he mingled with a celebrity to believing Djokovic was an AC Milan player to getting angry that Antonella Roccuzzo refused to pose for a picture, the Cristiano Ronaldo die-hard was everywhere.

Questions remain on whether his behaviour was appropriate for such a ceremony, but the stars, particularly Haaland, loved interacting with him.

Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi opens up on true feelings about Benzema winning prize for the 1st time

Football

"What's up with your shoes, bro?" the Manchester City ace hilariously commented.

It was the one day of the year set aside to see the who's who in football in dapper outfits away from their sweaty jerseys on the pitch. It wasn't a disappointment, but it wasn't a masterclass either. I don't know about you, but I could use a little bit of suspense going into such awards in future.

Messi is done. Let's see what 2024 has for us.

Exciting news! We have a WhatsApp channel 🤩

➡️ Click to join our channel for all your favourite sports news.

Neymar celebrates Messi after Ballon d'Or

Sports Brief also reported on how Neymar Junior celebrated his friend, Messi after the Argentine won an eighth Ballon d’Or.

The Brazilian icon suffered a serious injury amid the October international break, ruling him out of action for at least six months.

However, this did not stop Neymar from taking to social media to share a heartfelt message with his former teammate.