Ballon d’Or 2023 Power Rankings: Lionel Messi set to pip Erling Haaland to eighth Golden Ball as France Football reveals full list of nominees
Power rankingsL. MessiE. HaalandK. MbappéK. BenzemaNeymarVinícius JúniorR. LewandowskiM. RashfordH. KaneMohamed SalahK. De BruyneK. KvaratskheliaJ. MusialaJ. BellinghamB. SakaV. OsimhenUEFA Champions LeagueE. FernándezCasemiroM. ØdegaardJ. ÁlvarezA. HakimiPremier LeaguePrimera DivisiónSerie ABundesligaLigue 1World CupFEATURES
The shortlist for the 2023 prize has been announced – so who is in the running to win the famous trophy?
The 2023 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony is almost upon us, with some of the world’s best footballers among the nominees to succeed 2022 winner Karim Benzema in lifting the Golden Ball in Paris on October 30.
It promised to be a unique Ballon d’Or battle, with the World Cup taking place in the middle of the 2022-23 campaign, meaning it could be a distant memory by the time the votes were cast in August. There is no doubt, however, that playing a starring role in Qatar boosted some players’ chances of competing for the Golden Ball, even with the winners of domestic and European titles grabbing the late-season attention.
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Who, then, has put themselves in the frame for the biggest individual honour of them now that we finally have all the nominations? Join GOAL as our 12-month Ballon d’Or Power Rankings journey comes to a conclusion…
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5 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
In 2022-23: 10 goals, 32 assists. Won Champions League, Premier League & FA Cup.
Thirty-two assists! Kevin De Bruyne truly is the best playmaker of his generation, and the way he rounded into form over the course of last season was key to City hitting the heights they did over the final few months of the campaign.
His injury luck in Champions League finals may not be the best, but at least the Belgian finished on the winning side this time to finally get his hands on the European Cup.
4 Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)
In 2022-23: 25 goals, 26 assists. Won Copa del Rey, Club World Cup & UEFA Super Cup.
Given everything that Vinicius Jr. had to put up with from opposition fans in Spain over the course of the 2022-23 season, his form was superb, with it now confirmed that he is among that small group that can be dubbed world-class.
Falling short in the Champions League will likely mean he misses out on the Ballon d’Or podium this time around, but everything about the Brazilian profiles as a future winner of the award.
3 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
In 2022-23: 55 goals, 14 assists. Won Ligue 1.
Kylian Mbappe himself believes he has done enough to win the Ballon d’Or in 2023, and it isn’t difficult to build a case for him to do just that. He scored over 50 goals for club and country, won yet another league title, and won the Golden Boot at the World Cup after scoring a hat-trick in the final.
However, coming up short in Qatar and the lack of a deep Champions League run is likely to cost him what feels like an inevitable first Ballon d’Or this time around.
2 Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
In 2022-23: 56 goals, nine assists. Won Champions League, Premier League & FA Cup.
Erling Haaland broke countless records over the course of last season, and there was a time in late April that it seemed inevitable he would move to the top of the Ballon d’Or rankings come the end of the campaign.
However, a run of just one goal in his final eight games of the campaign for Man City means he will likely come up short in 2023, even though it was his efforts that played a massive role in Pep Guardiola’s side winning the treble.
1 Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
In 2022-23: 42 goals, 26 assists. Won World Cup, Ligue 1 & Trophee des Champions.
Lionel Messi did his best to throw an eighth Ballon d’Or away with his stuttering form during the second half of the 2022-23 season, but in the end his iconic World Cup win is likely to be enough to earn him yet another Golden Ball.
With it now more likely than ever that he is done with European football, though, does it mean it will be his eighth and final win of the award? His early form for Inter Miami suggests he can still produce unstoppable performances regardless.