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We're less than two months away from the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony. It's a huge night for footballers because the Ballon d'Or award is simply the most coveted individual prize in the world of football.
Performances of players in the 2022-23 season will be taken into consideration for the award. And what a season it was! In addition to the exhilarating domestic campaigns all over the globe, we also had the 2022 FIFA World Cup which took place between November and December last year.
Players have already made their case and now their fate will be decided on the basis of a combination of votes from media representatives, national team captains and coaches.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five top favourites to win the Ballon d'Or this year.
#5 Vinicius Junior (Brazil/Real Madrid)
Vinicius Junior is no longer the tricky and mercurial Real Madrid winger who just produced a handful of highlight-reel moments in a season. The Brazilian maverick is now Real Madrid's main man in attack and he has worked extremely hard over the last two campaigns to earn that reputation.
Vinicius was in scintillating form for Real Madrid in the 2022-23 season, scoring 23 goals and providing 21 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions. He also won the Copa del Rey, Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup with Los Blancos last term.
However, falling short of winning the Champions League and La Liga titles might just cost him in the race for the 2023 Ballon d'Or.
#4 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
Kylian Mbappe's 2022-23 season was incredible at an individual level for club and country. It's hard to argue against the notion that with the Ballon d'Or being an award that recognizes individual excellence, Mbappe has done enough to win it this year.
For starters, he won the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and even scored a hat-trick for France in the final against Argentina. Mbappe scored 41 goals and provided 10 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions for PSG last term.
He also won the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title and finished the domestic season as the top scorer in the league.
#3 Rodri (Spain/Manchester City)
Rodri has quietly established himself as one of the finest holding midfielders of the modern era over the past few seasons. He was one of Manchester City's most reliable players as they won a historic continental treble last term.
Rodri started 52 games for City last term, more than any other player in the squad. He also scored their winning goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. If all that wasn't enough, he also played a critical role in Spain's UEFA Nations League triumph earlier this summer.
There's every chance that Rodri will finish on the Ballon d'Or podium this year
#2 Erling Haaland (Norway/Manchester City)
Erling Haaland's debut season in the Premier League couldn't have gone any better. He joined Manchester City last summer and took the English top flight by storm. The 23-year-old showcased his phenomenal marksmanship by shattering numerous goalscoring records and firing City to a continental treble.
Haaland scored a whopping 52 goals and provided 11 assists in 53 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City last term. However, a dip in form towards the end of the campaign and failure to come up trumps in the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League might just see him stop short of winning the Ballon d'Or.
#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Inter Miami)
Has Lionel Messi done enough to win a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or this year? Let's take a look at his list of accomplishments from last season. Messi fired Argentina to World Cup glory, winning the Golden Ball in the process. He scored seven goals and provided three assists for Argentina in the tournament.
Messi was also a force to be reckoned with for Paris Saint-Germain. He scored 21 goals and provided 20 assists in 41 appearances in all competitions for the Parisians last term. His exploits were crucial to their winning the Ligue 1 title as well.
