The 2022-23 football campaign is over, and now it’s up to France Football to determine who wins this season’s Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual trophy there is in the sport.
Karim Benzema, the winner last year, is unlikely to retain the crown after an up-and-down campaign by his lofty standards, so a new guy is expected to lift the Golden Ball, as per the Ballon d’Or 2023 odds.
While Benzema couldn’t follow up his exploits from the 2021-22 season, other stars have been spectacular this year. And many of those players come from Manchester City, who all played a role in their treble-winning campaign.
No. 5: Rodri (Manchester City)
What a year it has been for Rodri, as he has won basically everything there is to win in club football, as well as another trophy while playing for the Spain national team.
He is one of the main reasons why Manchester City won the treble, scoring the winning goal against Inter Milan in the Champions League final. Rodri also won the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Nations League, most recently for La Roja.
Despite his modest totals of four goals and seven assists, Rodri has established himself as arguably the best No. 6 in the world right now. He is consistency personified for the Sky Blues, as no outfield player started more than his 52 games for Manchester City in 2022-23.
Rodri, 27, is under contract with Manchester City until 2027 after signing an extension last year, so the Sky Blues are lucky that they will still have him for most of his prime years.
No. 4: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Kevin De Bruyne is another player who deserves praise for yet another great campaign. The Manchester City maestro recorded 10 goals and a whopping 32 assists this season en route to helping his team win the treble.
Unfortunately for the Belgian, he was forced off in the Champions League final due to a serious muscular injury, so he’s expected to miss the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
It was revealed that he has a Grade 3 tear on his hamstring, and he said that he had been playing with it for the last two months. If everything goes well in his rehab, the earliest match De Bruyne can come back to is against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup.
No. 3: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Lionel Messi solidified his GOAT status when he led Argentina to World Cup glory last year. That might have been enough to earn him yet another Golden Ball, but his stuttering form during the second half of the 2022-23 season is hard to ignore.
After being on the receiving end of plaudits and adulation after the World Cup, it was the exact opposite in Paris, as he was booed by the fans towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign, where they missed out on the Champions League trophy yet again.
Messi is now taking his talents to South Beach after spending two years in the French capital. During his PSG stint, Messi has registered 32 goals and 35 assists across all competitions and won two Ligue 1 trophies and the French Champions Trophy.
No. 2: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Kylian Mbappe believes that he has done enough to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or, and it’s not hard to blame him.
This season, the 24-year-old superstar has recorded 55 goals and 14 assists for club and country, won yet another Ligue 1 title, and won the Golden Boot at the World Cup after scoring a hat-trick against Argentina in the final.
However, coming up short both in Qatar and in the Champions League, as well as the off-the-pitch drama that he has been through, will likely cost him, although it feels like it’s just a matter of time before he’ll eventually win one.
No. 1: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland should win the Ballon d’Or because he has broken countless records in his first full campaign at Manchester City.
The Norwegian registered an eye-popping 56 goals across all competitions to help the Sky Blues secure the historic treble. He may have scored only one goal in his final eight games for them, but even then, no one can catch him in terms of scoring.
The only thing missing for Haaland is success at the national team level, and that is his next big challenge.
Continue to tune in at SBOTOP for more Ballon d’Or 2023 updates, as the awarding ceremony is on October 30.
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