The race for the Ballon d'Or officially got under way on September 6 when France Football revealed its 30-player shortlists.
And it's looking doubtful whether any of Manchester City's treble-winning stars, Erling Haaland chief among them, can deny Lionel Messi a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or.
Messi emerged victorious at the 2022 World Cup, completing a career-long quest with Argentina as his seven goals and three assists in the tournament inspired La Albiceleste to glory.
The award is expected to be a two-way shootout between Messi and goalscoring sensation Haaland, who racked up 52 goals in his debut season at City en route to Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League success. So, can Haaland stop Messi?
MORE: What's difference between Ballon d'Or and FIFA The Best awards?
Ballon d'Or 2023 odds
Lionel Messi is leading the charts for the 2023 Ballon d'Or after carrying Argentina to the country's third World Cup title, and the first of his career.
Messi's final season in Paris was a mixed bag, booed occasionally by PSG fans as they crashed out of the UEFA Champions League and stumbled to the Ligue 1 title. Yet despite those issues, Messi still racked up over 40 goal contributions across all competitions.
But Erling Haaland's historic campaign has the Norwegian right on Messi's heels, after breaking the Premier League single-season goalscoring record.
It's a two-horse race between those two players, with everyone else behind them hardly given a chance at winning the crown.
Odds updated as of Monday, October 30, 2023.
| BetOnSports (UK) | |
|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 1/9 |
| Erling Haaland | 9/2 |
| Kevin de Bruyne | 50/1 |
| Vinicius Jr | 50/1 |
| Rodri | 50/1 |
| Kylian Mbappe | 66/1 |
| Harry Kane | 80/1 |
MORE: Ballon d'Or 2022 winners and final rankings
When will the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony be held?
The award ceremony for the 2022/23 Ballon d'Or is scheduled to be held on Monday, October 30 – today.
The ceremony will be held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, hosted by longtime guardians of the awards France Football.
It is expected that the proceedings will begin at 3:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. BST.
Who has won the most Ballon d'Or awards?
The player with the most Ballon d'Or awards all-time is Messi, who has won it seven times. Behind him is Messi's long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo with five Ballon d'Or awards.
Only 10 players all-time have claimed multiple Ballons d'Or. There have been 34 other players who have claimed the Ballon d'Or once in their career.
MORE: Ballon d'Or voting explained
| Rank | Player | Ballon d'Or wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lionel Messi | 7 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 |
| 2. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 | 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 |
| 3. | Michel Platini | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Johan Cruyff | 3 | 1971, 1973, 1974 | |
| Marco van Basten | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1992 | |
| 6. | Franz Beckenbauer | 2 | 1972, 1976 |
| Ronaldo | 2 | 1997, 2002 | |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | 2 | 1957, 1959 | |
| Kevin Keegan | 2 | 1978, 1979 | |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 | 1980, 1981 |
