Kim Min-jae finishes 22nd in Ballon d'Or ranking

Bayern Munich center-back Kim Min-jae finished 22nd in the 2023 Ballon d’Or ranking, earning one nomination after playing a crucial role in Napoli’s Serie A victory last season.

Kim Min-jae's 22nd-place finish is announced in a post by the official Ballon d'Or account on X, formerly Twitter, Monday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Bayern Munich center-back Kim Min-jae finished 22nd in the 2023 Ballon d’Or ranking, earning one nomination after playing a crucial role in Napoli’s Serie A victory last season.

Lionel Messi, now of Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, won the award for a record-extending eighth time after leading Argentina to win the World Cup last December.

Kim sits among prestigious company on the list, three spots behind teammate Harry Kane and one behind Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann. Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana is behind Kim in 23rd, with Arsenal striker Bukayo Saka in 24th.

At the top of the table, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland followed Messi in second place with Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe in third. City’s Kevin de Bruyne took fourth, with teammate Rodri rounding off the top five.

That three of the top five nominees play for Manchester City does not come as a huge surprise considering the club’s historic treble win last season.

The Ballon d’Or, which switched in 2022 to account for the entirety of the previous season not the calendar year, has been awarded by French magazine France Football since 1956. The award also changed this year to focus more on player’s individual abilities than achievements and trophies won.

Kim is the fourth Korean to earn a Ballon d’Or nomination, alongside Seol Ki-hyeon in 2002, Park Ji-sung in 2005 and Son Heung-min in both 2019 and 2022.

Son finished in 22nd place in 2019, the highest placement ever achieved by an Asian footballer at the time, although he has since broken that record with an 11th-place finish in 2022.

Kim could also be a candidate for the Best Footballer in Asia award presented by Titan Sports, often referred to as the Asian Ballon d’Or.

Son has dominated the award since its introduction in 2013, winning eight times including the last six consecutively. Kim has so far failed to break into the top three.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]