Ballon d'Or 2023 top 10 revealed & how many points they got | OneFootball

Highlights

With the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony wrapped up, we all know that Lionel Messi has won the award for a record eighth time. His triumph comes largely in the wake of Argentina's success at the 2022 World Cup. And while he may know why he was given the award, it's interesting to note just how comfortably he did when it came to the voting. Indeed, the Inter Miami ace finished up 105 points better off than his closest competitor Erling Haaland.

The full points tally has now been revealed for each member of the top ten in the men's Ballon d'Or for 2023 and we have listed them all for you to enjoy below. The winner was chosen by a jury of 100 journalists – one each from the top 100 nations in FIFA's men's world rankings – as they took into account performances based on the prior European season, as opposed to what happened across the span of the calendar year (which was previously the case).

10 Luka Modrić - 19 points

The spell-binding Croatian has been one of the most consistently brilliant midfielders over the past decade, delivering the goods time and time again for both club and country despite now being well into his late 30s. Last season, Luka Modrić started every game at the World Cup and made it all the way to the semi-finals (and then won the third-place playoff).

He also featured 52 times in all competitions for Real Madrid, as they won the Club World Cup and the Copa del Rey. Consequently, Modrić did enough to just squeeze into the top 10 here with 19 points. What's more, this makes him third on the all-time list of players with the most Ballon d'Or points in history.

9 Bernardo Silva - 20 points

With Manchester City being named Men’s Club of the Year at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony – in the wake of their all-conquering treble-winning campaign – it's no surprise to see a number of their players make the top ten of this list. Bernardo Silva was pivotal in their success and ranks ninth on this list with 20 points.

The Portuguese midfielder played in every single one of the Champions League matches as Pep Guardiola's men went on to win the competition for the first time in their history. He also played in 34 out of 38 Premier League games, and four out of five FA Cup matches, as Man City won both those competitions as well. Without Silva's boundless energy and stunning technical ability, it's hard to see the club performing quite so well.

8 Victor Osimhen - 24 points

What a 2022/23 Victor Osimhen had. Indeed, he scored 26 goals and provided five assists in 32 Serie A games as Napoli won their first Scudetto since 1990 (that's 33 years). It was his goal that sealed their triumph too, as he netted in a 1-1 home draw against Udinese.

After helping deliver such a monumental moment in Italian football, it's no shock to see the striker acknowledged. He picks up 24 points, which makes him the first Nigerian to ever finish inside the top ten for the Ballon d'Or rankings. Not bad at all.

7 Julián Álvarez - 28 points

What's better than a treble-winning season? How about adding a World Cup to that campaign as well? Indeed, it's hard to imagine many footballers have ever enjoyed as much success in the space of 12 months as Julián Álvarez did in 2022/23.

In his first season with Man City, he won three major trophies and in between all that he went to Qatar to lift the biggest prize of them all. He played a key role for both teams as well, with 17 goals for his club across all competitions, and four strikes for Argentina as he started every game on their path to success last winter. Taking all that into account, it could be argued that he deserves to finish even higher on this list.

When we are talking about pure numbers delivered, there aren't many who could better Vinicius Junior's output last term. The scintillating winger blitzed opposition defences time and time again for Real Madrid, grabbing 23 goals and 21 assists in 55 games.

In the end, with Madrid failing to win either La Liga or the Champions League, and Brazil crashing out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage, he didn't quite have the trophy haul to earn any more points than 49. He'll likely be a main contender for the 2024 Ballon d'Or and many more editions of the award over the coming years.

Rodri is the third Man City player to make this list (of five) and it could be argued that he was the most integral part of the club's many triumphs last term. Of course, Haaland delivered the goals (more on that later) but without the Spanish midfielder winning the ball back in the middle of the park and dictating the tempo, Guardiola's side just wouldn't have been able to control games with such a vice-like grip.

His importance to to the team is reflected in the fact that City have lost every game he's missed so far this term, but it was obvious in a more tangible way when it came to the Champions League final. After all, Rodri scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win and picked up the Player of the Match accolade. With 57 points, he ranks fifth on this list.

For a long time now, Kevin De Bruyne has been the main man for City as his ridiculous passing ability has continually unlocked stubborn defence after stubborn defence. And if he's not playing provider, he isn't shy of just firing in wonderfully accurate long-distance strikes either – just ask Real Madrid fans.

Injury has prevented the Belgian from grabbing any headlines of late but we shouldn't forget just how crucial he was for his side last term as he scored two goals and delivered three assists in the six knock-out stage games of the Champions League. He also netted seven strikes and wracked up 18 assists in the Premier League.

3 Kylian Mbappé - 270 points

There are few players in the world who feel more destined to eventually win a Ballon d'Or in the future than Kylian Mbappé. Even so, he had to settle for just third place this year, picking up 270 points. This comes despite the fact that he scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final, and won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain.

Unfortunately for the Frenchman, however, his team still lost that final against Argentina and as PSG didn't go far into the Champions League, his individual achievements couldn't quite be backed up by trophies on the biggest stages. With 12 goals and one assist in 13 matches this term already, he's already making a strong case to be considered for the 2024 award at least.

In terms of output, nobody had a better season in 2022/23 than Erling Haaland. Indeed, as he fired Manchester City to a famous treble, the striker bagged a mammoth 52 goals in all competitions. This also includes 36 Premier League strikes as he broke the record for the most goals in a single campaign – claiming six hat-tricks along the way.

That's all the more impressive when you remember that was his debut season in English football. He was also the top scorer in the Champions League, scoring 12 goals in 11 matches en route to the final. This was enough to secure him the prestigious Gerd Muller Trophy as the top striker of the past European season but he still fell 105 points behind first place in the Ballon d'Or rankings.

1 Lionel Messi - 462 points

Messi's history with the Ballon d'Or

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And coming in at the very top of the rankings, as you all know, Messi led the way in the vote as he lifted the eighth Ballon d'Or of his career. After his success in Qatar, finally winning the World Cup to seal his status as the greatest of all time (in the eyes of many), the Argentine bagged 462 points as he sealed yet another triumph in his illustrious career.

While he is past his best now at the tender age of 36, let's not pretend he still didn't deliver the goods last season as he was rightfully handed the Golden Ball for being the best player at the 2022 World Cup (scoring seven goals in seven games and also claiming three assists). He also still managed to win Ligue 1 with PSG, picking up 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 league outings. He truly is a remarkable player, although this may well be the last time he finishes inside the top ten for this award.