Who are the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or in 2023?

When it comes to football, there are few awards as important as the Ballon d'Or.

Created in 1956, this award was given each year to the best player of the calendar year, it is now given at the end of the season. Given the importance of football – it is the world game, after all – this award is followed more than any individual title of any sport. Winning the Ballon d'Or all but guarantees a place in the history books.

Even if the votes for the Ballon d'Or are yet to roll in, with the end of the season fast approaching and a glorious World Cup behind us, there's plenty of compelling evidence on the table as to who could snatch the title this year. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland are chief among them.

Lionel Messi is the big favorite for this 2022-23 edition of the Ballon d'Or. After a first season well below his standards last year with Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentinian finally seems to have acclimatized to his new environment. Sitting at the top of Ligue 1 with the Parisian club, Messi has shown himself to be much more important this season within the PSG workforce.

Often in charge of igniting the attack, Messi scores, but also gives a lot of decisive balls. He could also very quickly end the season with more than 20 goals and 20 assists, a rather rare performance in the French championship. Despite a missed season in the Champions League after elimination against Bayern Munich, he still managed to set up eight assists in seven games played.

The main argument for giving the Ballon d'Or to Lionel Messi is obviously his World Cup win with Argentina in Qatar at the end of 2022. An architect of the victory, Messi scored 7 goals and delivered 3 assists. A blessing for the Argentinian who hoped to win this title before ending his career.

Lionel Messi's main competitor is teammate Kylian Mbappé. A real assassin in front of goal, the French striker continues to impress season after season at PSG. Having become indispensable in the Parisian offensive formation, he improves each year to show us he is a world-class player.

Alongside Messi, Mbappé is on track to win Ligue 1 with his club, which is responsible for a large part of Parisian goals. Also stopped in the round of 16 against Bayern Munich, he was just as decisive as his Argentinian teammate with 7 goals and 3 assists.

While the two players are both having awe-inspiring seasons, Mbappé has one disadvantage – he didn't win the World Cup. But even if history only remembers the winners, the Frenchman still achieved a fabulous career with the Blues by scoring no less than 8 goals and delivering 2 assists. Among Mbappé's 8 goals, 3 were scored in the final, an exceptional performance in a high-pressure big stakes game.

On the tail of these two standout players is Erling Haaland. Arriving at Manchester City this season, the Norwegian has impressed with his exceptional statistics. A true hitman in front of goal, he is in line to beat Mo Salah's Premier League single-season record for goals scored with 32 in 2017/18.

Despite an absence in the World Cup which could be detrimental to him, Haaland is, unlike the other two players mentioned, still in the race for the Champions League. Considered the biggest club competition, the Champions League could serve as an argument for the Norwegian if he manages to win it while being as decisive as he already is.

While the Champions League could, for some, seem light in the face of winning the World Cup, breaking the goal record over a season in this competition could turn the cards down. The record held by Cristiano Ronaldo with 17 goals in a campaign in 2012/13 could be beaten by the adopted Mancunian who has already passed the 10-goal mark in European competition.

There are a handful of players who, while not as obvious as the aforementioned choice, have chalked up monumental individual performances this year and would be shot at the Ballon d'Or in a more traditional year. Among them would be the excellent Victor Osimhen, a striker at Napoli and a big surprise in Serie A this season.

A true architect of Napoli's exceptional form, Osimhen has been consistent throughout the season. In perpetual progress in Naples since his arrival from Lille in 2020, the Nigerian already boasts an incredible offensive record,  21 goals in 23 matches so far in the Serie A –  and the season is not over yet. And with Napoli still in with a shot at the Champions League title, Osimhen could continue his dream run and find himself named among the best players in the world at the end of this season.

Other honorable mentions have to go to Karim Benzema and Vinicius, two extremely important players in the Real Madrid workforce, also still engaged in the Champions League. Bukayo Saka, exceptional with Arsenal, is on track to win his first championship since 2004, and could also be among the best players at the end of the season.

Despite all these names, however, there remains one main duel: that between Messi and Mbappé. Playing both in the same club, each title won by PSG, will be granted to both players, thus giving a greater chance of victory to the Argentinian, winner of the World Cup. Highly appreciated for years by the press, which has enabled him to win 7 Ballon d'Or awards, Lionel Messi is and will surely remain the big favorite to win this edition.