The Ballon d’Or award presented by France Football is considered to be the most prestigious individual award in the world of football. Until last year, this award was given to the player who performed the best in a year, but from this year, this award will be given to the star who shows the best performance in a season.

Real Madrid star Karim Benzema picked up the award for the first time last year. There is no doubt that the French star, who won Real Madrid the Champions League and La Liga titles last season, deserved this award.

With the end of the World Cup 2022, the race for Ballon d’Or 2023 has also started. Some players have taken themselves far ahead in this race, while some veterans have fallen far behind.

Since the quadrennial competition will play a very important role in the year the World Cup is held, club football will also play a major role this time as well as the performance of the World Cup.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi is the player who has received this award the most times. He has won the Ballon d’Or award 7 times and the last time he won this award was in 2021.

Meanwhile, he who made Argentina the world champion for the third time in the World Cup 2022 is seen as a contender to win the award this time as well, while two young stars Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will give him tough competition.

So, let’s know about the top 5 contenders to win the Ballon d’Or 2023:-

5. Neymar Jr (Paris Saint Germain/Brazil)

2022/23 season: 17 goals, 15 assists in 25 games

4. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona/Poland)

2022/23  season: 23 goals in 25 games, five assists, Spanish Super Cup title

3. Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway)

2022/23 season: 31 goals, three assists in 27 games

2. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/France)

2022/23 season: 25 goals, six assists in 26 games

1. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain/Argentina)

2022/23 season: 14 goals, 14 assists, World Cup title in 23 games