Lewandowski 4th, Mbappe 2nd… Top 5 favorites of Ballon d’Or 2023
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award in football. He is awarded the best performer of the season by the French news magazine “France Football”.
The winner of the “Golden ball” is selected based on a combination of votes of media representatives, captains and coaches of the national team.
Karim Benzema won the coveted award in 2022. The race for the 2023 Ballon d’Or is well and truly underway, and the outcome of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is expected to have a huge impact on the outcome.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the five favorites for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
#5 Neymar Jr. (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain)
Neymar Jr. He was arguably the most in-form player in the world during the first two months of the 2022-23 season. The Brazil international has turned back the clock, delivering world-class performances week after week for Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Neymar saw his World Cup dream cut short at the quarter-final stage. Struggled for form and fitness during the tournament, but his numbers at PSG continue to be exemplary.
Neymar, who has played 25 games in all competitions for the Parisians since the beginning of the season, scored 17 goals and made 15 assists.
#4 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski struggled for success with Poland at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Lewandowski had a tough time at what could have been his last World Cup, but he was on fire at one club. The 34-year-old player joined Barcelona last summer from Bayern Munich.
He showed Barça what they have been missing in the attacking sphere for the past two seasons. Lewandowski was prolific in front of goal and his form took the club to the top of the La Liga table.
Lewandowski has been a serious contender for the “Golden Ball” in recent years and will be the same in 2023. The Polish icon has scored and assisted 23 goals in 25 games for Barcelona in all competitions since the start of the season. five assists.
#3 Erling Haaland (Norway/Manchester City)
Norway’s failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup could have hampered Erling Haaland’s chances in the race for the Ballon d’Or in 2023. However, he is doing a great job at his new club Manchester City this season.
Haaland is a goalscoring machine and he has taken the Premier League by storm this season. The 22-year-old has scored 31 goals and provided 3 assists in 27 games for Pep Guardiola in all competitions this season.
If Haaland can win a few major trophies with City this year, he might just win the Ballon d’Or.
#2 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
You have to be kind to Kylian Mbappe. Although the 24-year-old football player scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final, he could not draw France. Mbappe won the Golden Boot of the tournament and was in excellent form for PSG as well.
Since the beginning of the season, he has scored 25 goals and provided 6 assists in 26 games for Paris Saint-Germain in all competitions.
The French international is likely to win several major trophies this season, which should boost his chances in the Ballon d’Or race. But the fact that the main candidate for the Golden Ball is his teammate Lionel Messi does not help him.
#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi is set to win a record eighth Ballon d’Or. He led Argentina to World Cup glory and won the Ballon d’Or, awarded to the tournament’s best player. Messi scored 7 goals and had 3 assists in the World Cup.
This year he is also in unreal form at PSG. The 35-year-old football player scored 14 goals and made 14 assists in 23 games in all competitions for Christopher Gaultier since the beginning of the season.
If Messi continues this pace, he is likely to climb to the top of the Ballon d’Or podium.
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