Arsenal are reportedly interested in a player who finished two places higher than Martin Odegaard in the voting for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
As relayed by Fabrizio Romano on X, the Gunners skipper finished 28th in the vote – with Jamal Musiala taking 26th spot.
Arsenal are one of the teams reportedly interested in Musiala. Reports from 90min earlier this month claimed that the Gunners had asked about the 20-year-old Bayern Munich star. They are one of several Premier League sides keen on the attacking midfielder.
Arsenal target Jamal Musiala finishes ahead of Martin Odegaard in Ballon d’Or
Musiala, of course, scored the goal which won Bayern the Bundesliga title in the final moments on the final day of last season. And he has definitely established himself as one of the most exciting talents in the world right now.
In fact, he has just been voted the 26th best player in the world for 2023. As reported by Marca, the Ballon d’Or is voted for by 100 journalists around the world.
Interestingly, Musiala’s ranking puts him two places higher than Martin Odegaard – who finished tied with Randal Kolo Muani in 28th – after Arsenal came agonisingly close to winning the Premier League title last season.
Gunners skipper will definitely rise up at the ranks in future years
Odegaard has been fairly quiet in the last few weeks, by his own standards. But he enjoyed an amazing year with the Gunners, producing a number of captain’s performances for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Some Arsenal fans will take exception with Odegaard being that low. However, this is definitely not going to be the last time the Norwegian is in the top 30 in the vote for the Ballon d’Or.
And of course, Arsenal supporters would desperately love for Musiala to join Odegaard at the Emirates. But his place in the vote acts as a further reminder of how difficult it would be for Arsenal to secure his signature.