Erling Haaland: Will Man City star win the 2023 Ballon d'Or? | OneFootball

Erling Braut Haaland was born to score goals.

Before a ball was kicked in 2022/23, many predicted the Norwegian colossus to break Premier League scoring records with Manchester City.

And Haaland has certainly delivered the goods in that regard.

The former Borussia Dortmund man bagged his 35th league goal of the campaign in City's 3-0 win over West Ham United.

He's now surpassed the previous record of 34 goals, jointly held by Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer - who achieved the feat in a 42-game season.

Yeah, Haaland's numbers are a joke. The 22-year-old's 35 goals have come from just 31 Premier League appearances.

For context, Chelsea have scored fewer goals (31) than Haaland in their 33 Premier League fixtures so far this season.

Madness, isn't it?

Due to his prolific, record-breaking form in front of goal, Haaland's odds for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award look very, very tempting.

The City star is currently the second-favourite over on Sky Bet - and he's getting closer and closer to the number one spot.

Who are the 10 favourites for the 2023 Ballon d'Or?

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) - 100/1

Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) - 80/1

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli) - 66/1

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - 40/1

Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) - 33/1

Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - 33/1

Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) - 25/1

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - 25/1

Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - 5/4

Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) - 5/4

Haaland is nearly evens, which is quite remarkable for any player during a season in which Lionel Messi - a seven-time winner of the award - got his hands on the FIFA World Cup trophy.

The Argentine's indifferent season at Paris Saint-Germain, aside from some impressive goal and assist numbers, isn't exactly helping his cause.

So if Haaland can continue scoring goals for fun and guide City to a historic Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble, he may very well become the favourite for the Ballon d'Or.

We're still not quite sure how Rashford is ahead of World Cup Golden Boot winner, Mbappe, on the list above, the United star given the same odds as the award's current holder, Benzema.

But in truth, it doesn't matter what numbers are next to the trio's names, because the 2023 Ballon d'Or is a shootout between two men and two men only.