In 2023, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland will face off for the Ballon d’Or, setting up a generational showdown.
Messi scored seven goals and sent out three assists as Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar, completing the holy grail. Before making the jump to the Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, he won another Ligue 1 championship with Paris Saint-Germain.
Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 appearances to help Manchester City win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League last season.
After a disappointing and messy second tenure at Manchester United, Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is anticipated to be out of the running for another year.
After 2008, Messi won seven and Ronaldo five, making them the most successful stars in award history.
Despite Messi’s tremendous haul, Luka Modric (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022) have won titles in the past four years.
Kylian Mbappe scored the first World Cup final hat-trick since Geoff Hurst in 1966 as he failed to defeat Argentina. The PSG attacker is set to battle Messi and Haaland for the top prize.
When is Ballon d’Or 2023?
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held on October 30, 2023, after the shortlist is announced on September 6, 2023.
The Ballon d’Or will continue to consider performances throughout a season (August-July) rather than a year.
Predictions for the 2023 Ballon d’Or winners
Despite Messi’s departure from PSG and the Parisians’ failure to win the Champions League in 2022/23, he remains a heavy favorite to win the Ballon d’Or in 2023.
The 20 goals he scores for PSG in his final season will be important, but so will his great leadership of Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title.
Haaland, a star for Pep Guardiola’s City, is the second favorite to win the award after a stellar debut campaign.
