According to Diario SPORT, Lionel Messi has successfully fought off opponents Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in the 2023 Ballon d’Or tournament. The 67th edition of the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony will take place on October 30 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. For the second time in the award’s history, the winner will be decided by the results of the 2022–2023 season rather than the calendar year.
Thirty contenders for the title of greatest football player in history were unveiled during the first week of September. The list included superstars Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kevin De Bruyne. The bookmaker, nevertheless, believes Messi will prevail.
Ballon d’Or 2023 updates:
The Argentine star helped his nation win the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and had an amazing 2022–23 campaign. Against France in the championship game, he scored seven goals, including a brace, to win his second Golden Ball of an incredible career. In addition, Lionel Messi had a fantastic season for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), scoring 21 goals and dishing out 20 assists in 41 games across all competitions to help the French team win Ligue 1.
Even if Haaland and Mbappe had fantastic seasons, Messi would still be deserving if he were to win another Ballon d’Or, which would make it the most in football history. Erling Haaland of Manchester City should win the Ballon d’Or this year, according to former Chelsea player Jason Cundy, who believes it would be unfortunate if Lionel Messi took home the trophy for a record-breaking eighth time.
Erling Haaland had a fantastic 2022–23 season after joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund this summer. He won the FA Cup, the Premier League, and the UEFA Champions League with 52 goals and 9 assists in 53 games. Cundy stated on TalkSport, “I think it’s a disgrace if Haaland doesn’t win it [Ballon d’Or]. Messi will get it because he won the World Cup, which I think is a disgrace.”
For the unversed, since 1956, the French weekly magazine France Football has given the Ballon d’Or, an annual football award. According to a deal with FIFA, the prize was briefly combined with the FIFA World Player of the Year and renamed the FIFA Ballon d’Or between 2010 and 2015.
So, this was all about the upcoming most awaited Ballon d’Or 2023 tournament. Also read, MSK Prasad backs India’s World Cup squad selection.
