The three players are favorites for the 2023 Ballon d’or, which will be awarded on Monday at the Châtelet theater in Paris.
Who to succeed Karim Benzema? One year after the French striker’s coronation, the 67th Ballon d’Or will be awarded on Monday, October 30, during the ceremony which will be held in the evening at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. For the second time, the new rules introduced last year will be applied. The Golden Ball will therefore designate the best player of the 2022-2023 season, which ended last June.
To choose it, the 100 journalists asked to vote had to take into account three criteria: individual performances (including their “decisive and impressive character”), collective performances (including the prize list), as well as class and fair play. . Thirty players, whose list was revealed in September, hope to win the ultimate recognition. In reality, three stand out to win this Ballon d’Or.
Kylian Mbappé, the most spectacular
For the first time in his career, Kylian Mbappé should be present on the Ballon d’Or podium. 4th in 2018, 6th last year, the captain of the Blues was confident after his penultimate match of last season, in June against Gibraltar. “What are the new criteria? It burns the retina and is impactful. I think I fit the criteria. We’ll see. It’s the people who vote but I’m always optimistic”he declared on TF1.
It’s hard to prove him wrong. Last season, Kylian Mbappé scored 54 goals in 56 games with PSG and the Blues, finished best player and top scorer in Ligue 1 which he won, and made history by scoring a hat-trick in the final of World Cup. “Would it be unfair if Kylian Mbappé was not the lucky winner of the next Ballon d’Or?” To this question asked by Téléfoot, Didier Deschamps replied: “Yes.”
According to a survey carried out by Odoxa for Winamax and RTL, the French share the same opinion as the coach: 46% of respondents think that Kylian Mbappé should win the Ballon d’Or, compared to 19% for Erling Haaland and 12% for Lionel Messi. But unlike his two main competitors, Kylian Mbappé may be missing having won a major competition during this 2022-2023 season. The impatient French striker may have to wait one more season.
Erling Haaland, the most prolific
No one has done better than him in terms of statistics in the 2022-2023 season. For his first year with Manchester City, the Cyborg crushed everything in his path: for club and country, he scored 56 goals in 57 matches played. Above all, he is the headliner of the team which won the last Champions League. Certain performances – such as his quintuple in C1 against Leipzig – made an impression and the Norwegian finished best player and top scorer in the Premier League, which he won in the same way as the FA Cup.
“I believe in myself, I really do. I know I can still improve a lot, I’m still young. But yes, I think I have a chance this year.”declared the person concerned to France Football last September. Haaland, however, risks suffering from a handicap that could follow him throughout his career: his nationality. He did not play in the World Cup, a real judge for the Golden Ball, because Norway was not qualified.
Even his coach Stale Solbakken sees Messi winning: “If you ask me who I think will win, I will say Messi will win it thanks to his World Cup triumph.” His coach at City, Pep Guardiola, was more complimentary of him: “Haaland should win, yes and yes. We won the treble, he scored fifty million goals. I would love for Erling to win. But of course there is Messi…”
Lionel Messi, the real favorite
When judging the potential winners of the Ballon d’Or, Pep Guardiola was unable to make up his mind. To the point of imagining an alternative reality: “I have always said that the Ballon d’Or should be separated into two sections. One for Messi and one for the others. (…) The worst of his seasons is the best of the other players. Leo won the World Cup! Both (Messi and Haaland) deserve it.”
This title at the World Cup in Qatar is perhaps the argument that hits home. La Pulga led the Albiceleste to the final, in which he scored twice against France, and finished as the competition’s best player. With PSG, Messi especially shone at the start of the season before winning Ligue 1. With 38 goals in 54 games (and 24 assists), the Argentinian’s statistical production gives him a say in the competition.
Having left for Inter Miami, Lionel Messi could say goodbye to very high-level club football one last time by winning his 8th Ballon d’Or, far ahead of the 5 trophies won by Cristiano Ronaldo. On CBS Sports, Thierry Henry made Lionel Messi his favorite: “A lot of people can debate this but for me, if you win the World Cup the way he did, you deserve it. (…) For me, it’s Messi, bye, finished.” This new coronation of the Pulga would indeed not suffer from any dispute.