The race for the Ballon d’Or 2023 award continues as top players, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Robert Lewandowski, contend for the top trophy. A point ranking system would determine the France Football Organized award after a series of votes.

French forward Karim Benzema picked up the 2022 Ballon d’Or award following an outstanding performance for Real Madrid. However, this year’s edition will take a different turn.

Consideration for the award this year would begin with a performance at the Summer World Cup last year in Qatar. It would also go down to the intensity in the Premier League, La Liga, and ultimately the UEFA Champions League.

Who will win the Ballon d’Or 2023? As things stand currently, Lionel Messi won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and is the clear favourite. Kylian Mbappé would be one to watch alongside Erling Haaland, who is in red form at Manchester City and will be among the contenders, especially if he wins the Premier League.

Ballon d’Or 2023 Power Rankings – Top Contenders

1. Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi surely deserves the number one placement on our list due to the immense contributions that led to Argentina’s triumph at the World Cup in Qatar last year.

Messi led the team as captain heading into his second tournament as captain of the Argentine Men’s National Football team.

At Paris Saint-Germain, Messi is one of the key players alongside Kylian Mbappé and Neymar. Even though Paris fell out in their bid to reach the finals of the Champions League, he remains a clear favourite.

Lionel Messi stats 2022-23

Trophies: World Cup, French Super Cup

He won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and was awarded the Golden Ball tournament. At Paris Saint-Germain, he won the French Super Cup and is currently among the players with the most goals and assists in the Ligue 1.

Read: Players to score 50+ goals per season

2. Erling Haaland

Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland finds himself among the top contenders of the 2022 Ballon d’Or race. He is on fire in the English Premier League, scoring over thirty league goals.

He joined Man City from Borussia Dortmund and began the EPL Golden Boot race in his debut game for the Cityzens.

What would boost Erling Haaland’s chances of winning the 2023 Ballon d’Or award depends on Manchester City winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League (The Treble).

Erling Haaland stats

Trophies: 0

3. Kylian Mbappé

https://twitter.com/yranoworld/status/1644820968169172992

The exciting forward continues to improve year after year and has been on the Ballon d’Or power rankings for quite a while.

Mbappé was the main player for Les Bleus at the World Cup as they finished runners-up following the defeat to Argentina. The PSG man won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot and Silva Ball at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Last year, he finished in sixth spot at the awards in France.

Read: Top 20 Best Strikers in the World

Kylian Mbappé stats

Trophies: 0

4. Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City’s midfield may not be the same without Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian has been outstanding for the Cityzens. This season, a poll revealed he was the greatest midfielder in the league’s history.

De Bruyne has made outstanding contributions to Manchester City’s quest. This season, the Cityzens could win the treble as they are currently in the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup.

Kevin De Bruyne stats

Trophies: 0

5. Karim Benzema

Chris Deahr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Karim Benzema is the current holder of the Ballon d’Or following his emergence at the awards last year. The Frenchmen edged Lionel Messi to the awards.

This season, the Frenchman has not stopped. He is the top scorer of Real Madrid and one of the leading players at the club.

Surely, Benzema deserves to be on the list of the Balon d’Or 2023 contenders. Real Madrid is in contention for the Champions League title.

Karim Benzema stats

Trophies: FIFA Club World Cup

6. Victor Osimhen

🇳🇬 Victor Osimhen stats for Napoli:

👕 90 games
⚽️ 51 goals
🎯 14 assists
🤝 65 goal contributions

Osimhen on Napoli winning the Champions League: "We continue to dream, we have the team to do it." pic.twitter.com/SvLKxt7h4b

— Sholy Nation Sports (@Sholynationsp) March 16, 2023

Victor Osimhen’s inclusion on the list is no surprise due to his outstanding performance at Napoli. Nigeria forward is one of the main players behind the team’s title charge amid a thirty-year wait.

Osimhen has been firing on all cylinders and is ranked among the best strikers in the world. He leads the Serie A top scorers chart with a significant goal margin.

He is a player to watch this year as he maintains a substantial form.

Victor Osimhen stats

Trophies: 0

7. Vinicius Junior

Well, Carlo Ancelotti’s hype about Vinicius Junior being the best winger in the world is true, after all. The Brazilian has been everywhere for Real Madrid, especially in the Champions League, where his outstanding contributions helped the team to the quarter-finals.

Although Vinicius Junior may not lift the La Liga title, he is arguably the league’s Player of the season. The Brazilian youngster is a joy to watch, especially his skills, pace, and positioning.

Real Madrid’s potential lifting of the Champions League would accelerate his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.

Vinicius Junior stats

Trophies: FIFA Club World Cup and Super Cup

Read: Top 20 best wingers in the world

8. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

🇬🇪 KHVICHA KVARATSKHELIA PLAYS FOOTBALL TODAY. pic.twitter.com/voecYjvyMO

— Dachi Tsurtsumia 🇬🇪 (@dtsgtr2) April 7, 2023

Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is one of the greatest revelations of the 2022/23 season. In Naples, he is the fan favourite due to his efforts and ability to hit the highest rating weekly.

This season, Napoli is in the driving seat for the Serie A title after a thirty-year wait, and the Georgian forms one of the pillars of this campaign

Apart from that, Napoli’s form in the Champions League was largely due to the winger’s contributions, who shows no sign of slowing down when he is with the ball.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia stats

Trophies: 0

9. Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford is arguably one of the most creative players in the English Premier League. He has continued to improve himself year after year.

This season, the arrival of Erik ten Haag appears to have changed the dynamics at Old Trafford, with Marcus Rashford as one of the team’s pillars.

Thanks to Rashford’s goal contributions, Manchester United won the Carabao Cup and ended the club’s lengthy wait for silverware.

Marcus Rashford stats

Trophies: Carabao Cup

10. Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski continues to make the rules wherever he goes. The Polish striker joined Barcelona in 2022. He currently leads the La Liga top scorers chart and is on course to lift the league title with the club in his first season.

Injuries have left him on the sidelines on some occasions. However, he looks set to win big on the biggest stage once again after narrowly missing out on the Ballon d’Or in 2020 to Lionel Messi.

Lifting the Spanish La Liga title with Barcelona would set the stage for the Ballon d’Or award. He may finally get his hands on the most prestigious individual football award in Europe.

Lewandowski stats

Trophies: Supercopa de Espana

11. Casemiro

Some call him the tank, and of course, he acts like one. Casemiro has acted like a shield to the Manchester United backline since he arrived from Real Madrid. The Brazilian looks like he is not stopping after enjoying a blissful career in Spain.

He brought stability to Manchester United’s midfield and spearheaded the club’s success at the Carabao Cup.

This season, he is leading the charge for the club’s comeback to win one of the Champions League tickets. He is also leading the charge as Man United eyes the Europa League.

Casemiro stats

Trophies: UEFA Super Cup (Real Madrid) and Carabao Cup (Manchester United)

Read: Top 20 Best Midfielders in the world

12. Bukayo Saka

There’s no way Bukayo Saka would be left off the list. Indeed, his inclusion in the top 10 contenders for the Ballon d’Or in 2023 has been justified.

Bukayo Saka is one of the best finishers in the Premier League season and is one of the pillars of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal project.

Saka, apart from his role at Arsenal, was one of the most decisive players at the World Cup last year with the Three Lions as they exited the tournament in the quarter-finals.

Arsenal’s shot at the Premier League title would accelerate Saka’s chances on the Ballon d’Or final list.

Bukayo Saka stats

Trophies: 0

13. Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham: Photo Credit/ https://mobile.twitter.com/MadridXtra/status/1574312935421247489

Jude Bellingham is a midfield sensation and one of the players on the wishlist of top European clubs. The Englishman was a key player for the Three Lions at the World Cup, where he showed what he was made up of.

Jude Bellingham is arguably one of the best midfielders around. Borussia Dortmund is in the race for the Bundesliga and the German Cup.

14. Neymar

A series of injuries has forced Neymar to sit on the sidelines. But that said, he is a key player at Paris Saint-Germain this season.

The Brazilian played a significant role in PSG’s quest to advance to the knockout stages, even though it did not result in the manner they expected.

Neymar stats

Trophies: 0