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We're just over a month away from the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony. The much-coveted award presented by French news magazine France Football will honour the best footballer of the 2022-23 season on October 30.
The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in the world of football. Every player aspires to reach the mountain top once they embark on their careers and the Ballon d'Or represents exactly that. The summit. The pinnacle of individual achievement in the beautiful game.
The race for the 2023 Ballon d'Or has been nothing short of exhilarating. Unlike last year, we don't have a clear-cut favourite and hence, there is a lot of anticipation and curiosity as we inch towards the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings for the month of September 2023.
#10 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski delivered the goods in his debut season at Barcelona. The iconic Polish striker seemed to be at home from the get-go. He scored plenty of goals to show Barca exactly what they've been missing since Luis Suarez's departure in 2020.
Lewandowski's goals were crucial to the Catalans winning the La Liga title last term after a gap of three years. The 35-year-old scored 33 goals and provided eight assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona last term.
#9 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia/Napoli)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is one of the breakout stars of the 2022-23 season. The Georgia international took Serie A by storm last term and wreaked havoc with his incredible dribbling skills, technical quality and decision-making.
'Kvaradona' was one of the best players in the world in the first half of last season. His form did taper off a bit towards the final stretch of the campaign but he had already inspired Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years by then.
In 43 appearances across all competitions for the Partenopei last term, Kvaratskhelia scored 14 goals and provided 17 assists.
#8 Ilkay Gundogan (Germany/Barcelona)
lkay Gundogan is the definition of a clutch player. He was phenomenal for Manchester City in the business end of last season, scoring extremely crucial goals and helping his side win the continental treble. Gundogan bagged a brace in the FA Cup final against Manchester United.
He also scored two-apiece against Leeds United and Everton to effectively buoy City to the Premier League title as well. Gundogan scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Cityzens last season.
#7 Vinicius Junior (Brazil/Real Madrid)
Vinicius Junior is an absolute menace and he played some of the best football of his young and fledgling career last season.
The Brazilian winger has now firmly established himself as Real Madrid's main man in attack following Karim Benzema's departure. That's the level of impact he had for Los Blancos last season.
Vinicius scored 23 goals and provided 21 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid in the 2022-23 season. But missing out on the La Liga and Champions League titles will cost him in the Ballon d'Or race this year.
#6 Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
Kevin De Bruyne is arguably the greatest attacking midfielder of his generation. He was at his creative best in the 2022-23 season as he racked up a whopping 31 assists in addition to scoring 10 goals for Manchester City in all competitions.
His exploits were critical to City's continental treble win. However, he had a rather forgettable outing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and had to be substituted early in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. The Ballon d'Or is decided on fine margins and these shortcomings could cost De Bruyne this year.
#5 Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Napoli)
Victor Osimhen etched his name in the annals of Napoli folklore last season by turning in one of the best individual campaigns of his career to fire the Serie A side to their first Scudetto in 33 years. Osimhen has now established himself as one of the finest strikers on the planet.
In 39 appearances across all competitions for Napoli last term, Osimhen scored 31 goals and provided five assists.
#4 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
Scoring eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final, earned Kylian Mbappe the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Frenchman was on fire for both club and country last term. He managed to net 41 times in addition to providing 10 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions for PSG last season.
However, an early exit from the Champions League and a lack of any major trophies other than the Ligue 1 title will cost Mbappe the Ballon d'Or this year.
#3 Rodri (Spain/Manchester City)
Rodri has been phenomenal at the base of Manchester City's midfield for several seasons now. But the Spaniard was on a different level altogether last term. He was extremely reliable and produced a number of clutch performances over the course of the campaign.
Rodri even scored the winner for City in the Champions League final against Inter Milan last season. He won the continental treble with City before winning the UEFA Nations League with Spain in the summer. The 27-year-old is very likely to end up on the Ballon d'Or podium this year.
#2 Erling Haaland (Norway/Manchester City)
Erling Haaland brought his stellar goalscoring form to the Premier League last season. After joining Manchester City in the summer of 2022, Haaland showcased his elite marksmanship to terrorize defences all across Europe.
He scored a whopping 52 goals and laid out nine assists in 53 appearances to fire City to a continental treble last season. The 23-year-old also won the European Golden Shoe. However, his failure to score goals in some important games towards the end of the season is likely to cost him the Ballon d'Or.
#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Inter Miami)
Lionel Messi has pretty much thrown the kitchen sink at winning a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or. The Argentinian legend fired Argentina to glory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and won the Golden Ball given to the best player in the tournament.
Messi also played an instrumental role in helping PSG win the Ligue 1 title last term. He scored 21 goals and provided 20 assists in 41 appearances in all competitions for the Parisians last term.
