2023 Ballon d'Or favourites ranked including Messi, Haaland & Mbappe | OneFootball

Aside from a few international games, the 2022/23 season has come to an end.

That means players have done all they can in the race for the 2023 Ballon d'Or.

The winner of this year's award will be announced on October 30.

With the ceremony now a few months away, we've ranked who we believe are the 20 favourites to win the prize. View our rankings below...

GiveMeSport VIDEO OF THE DAY

Pause

Unmute

Current Time 0:00

/

Duration 7:58

Loaded: 4.55%

Ranking the 20 favourites for the 2023 Ballon d'Or

20. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Fernandes' durability is astounding. He played the most minutes of any player in 2022/23 by some distance, per Transfermarkt. He scored 14 times and recorded 15 assists as United finished third in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup.

19. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Liverpool may have struggled in 22/23 but Salah was still at the top of his game, scoring 30 goals and providing 16 assists.

18. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Saka was tremendous as Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League title. He directly contributed to 26 goals last season (15 goals, 11 assists).

17. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

Rashford had his best campaign in front of goal by a considerable margain as he netted 30 times in United's successful campaign.

16. Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)

Bellingham was arguably England's standout player at the World Cup and was also superb for Borussia Dortmund as they narrowly missed out on the Bundesliga title. A big money move to Real Madrid beckons.

15. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Silva was one of City's standout performers in their treble winning side. He was named in the Champions League Team of the Season.

14. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

Kane may not have won anything with Tottenham (again), but he still managed 30 Premier League goals. He could be on the move this summer.

13. Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

Martinez featured in Argentina's World Cup winning side and also starred in Inter's Coppa Italia triumph and their run to the Champions League final.

12. Rodri (Manchester City)

The Spaniard netted the winner for City in the Champions League final. He is the best defensive midfielder in world football.

11. Victor Osimhen (Napoli)

The Nigerian netted 31 times in 39 games for Napoli this season. Many of the world's biggest clubs are believed to be chasing his signature this summer and it's no wonder why.

The reigning Ballon d'Or winner didn't hit the heights he did in 2022 but still enjoyed a successful season. He scored 31 times in all competitions, helping Real Madrid to successes in the Super Cup, Club World Cup and Copa del Rey.

9. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)

Lewandowski's 23 goals helped Barcelona to their first La Liga title since 2019.

8. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)

Kvaratskhelia earned comparisons to the great Diego Maradona with a string of superb displays in 22/23. He was crowned Serie A Most Valuable Player as he helped Napoli to their first title since 1990.

7. Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)

Alvarez won the World Cup, FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League in the 22/23 campaign. Not a bad season at all.

6. Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)

Gundogan doesn't always get the praise he deserves. The German's contract with City runs out this summer and it would be a huge blow for Pep Guardiola's side should they lose him.

5. Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

Vinicius has emerged into one of the world's very best players. The Brazilian scored 23 times and recorded 21 assists for Real Madrid last campaign. At 22 years old he will only get better.

Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup after netting eight times in France's campaign, where they were narrowly beaten by Argentina. He also scored 41 times in 43 matches for PSG.

3. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

De Bruyne finished third in the 2022 Ballon d'Or standings. We predict he'll finish there again in 2023.

2. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Haaland enjoyed an extraordinary first season at City. He scored 52 goals as they won a historic treble.

1. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)

It's a two-horse race to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or and we think Messi will emerge victorious for the eighth time. The legendary footballer put in a number of superhuman displays as Argentina triumphed at the 2022 World Cup.