"A great player" - Achraf Hakimi picks his 2023 Ballon d'Or winner, snubs Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland

PSG defender Achraf Hakimi has snubbed Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland while naming his 2023 Ballon d'Or award winner. The Morocco international has instead tipped his club teammate Kylian Mbappe to go home with the prestigious prize in October.

According to the right-back, Mbappe deserves to be named the best player in the world for his exploits during the year. He made the claim while speaking to BeIn Sports France, saying:

"Compared to what he did this last year, for me, he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. He's a great player and I hope he can win it this year."

Kylian Mbappe certainly deserves to get Ballon d'Or shouts for his amazing exploits last season. The Frenchman won the Ligue 1 title, being the top scorer with 29 goals to his name.

He also shone at the World Cup, where he scored eight goals in seven games, including a fantastic hat-trick in the final. He picked up the Golden Boot as well, although France lost to Argentina.

Erling Haaland, on the other hand, was highly influential as Manchester City claimed a historic treble last season, breaking several records in the process.

He finished the term with a whopping 52 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions and picked up the top scorer award in the Premier League, the Champions League and across Europe's top five leagues.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi finally etched his name in the history books as he led Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The playmaker was the best player in the competition with seven goals and three assists to his name in seven games, and was awarded the Golden Ball. He also picked up the Silver Boot for finishing second in the top scorer's chart.

At club level, Messi bagged 20 goals and 21 assists for PSG across all competitions. That further boosts his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or for the eighth time in his career.

Who else is in the Ballon d'Or race apart from Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe?

Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are the main rivals for this year's Ballon d'Or

While Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe remain the top candidates for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award, there are other players who also impressed with club and country during the year. Most prominent on this list is the trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City's treble winning side.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez are also in with a shout.

It is worth noting that the 2023 Ballon d'Or award gala will be held in Paris on October 30, 2023.