Who will win Ballon d’Or 2023? Shortlist, favourites, latest odds, date and past winners

Cameron Smith
Lionel Messi, World Cup 2022

The Ballon d’Or is deemed the most prestigious individual award in football, with every player aspiring to win it one day.

The award began back in 1956, with England’s Stanley Matthews the inaugural winner, while Real Madrid and France star Karim Benzema is the current holder of the Ballon d’Or after winning the 2022 award.

One player is crowned as the world’s best player over the course of a domestic season, and the 2023 award promises to be as hotly contested as ever.

Here at FootballTransfers, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know for the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony.

What is the shortlist for the 2023 Ballon d’Or?

Before the winner is chosen, a shortlist of players will be released for the voters across the world to choose from.

The shortlist for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, as well as the shortlists for all the other prizes, has not yet been announced.

Who is the favourite to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or?

With the awards ceremony not set to take place until late 2023, the bookies haven’t yet announced their favourites to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or.

However, due to the rule changes which mean the award is now decided based on a player’s domestic season rather than the calendar year, it is easier to predict what is going to happen.

Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph means that Lionel Messi is the red-hot favourite with experts to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Messi won the World Cup Golden Ball for best player after scoring seven goals and assisting three on Argentina’s road to glory. He scored two in the final and is also enjoying a brilliant club season with PSG.

His PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe also had a sensational World Cup. He was top scorer in Qatar with eight goals and became the first player since 1966 to score a hattrick in a final, despite France losing on penalties.

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has enjoyed a prolific start to life in the Premier League and should be challenging for a podium place at least.

Mbappe was top scorer at the World Cup

Mbappe was top scorer at the World Cup

New Barcelona signing Robert Lewandowski has translated his goal-scoring form over from Bayern Munich and will be in the running, and Napoli duo Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen have both began the campaign in electric fashion and could be outside shouts for the award.

Jamal Musiala, Kevin de Bruyne, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde, Vinicius Junior will also be among the favourites by the end of the season.

What were the 2022 Ballon d’Or rule changes?

The Ballon d’Or underwent several big changes in 2022, with the most significant being the new schedule for the prize. While before it was judged based on the calendar year (January to December), that has now been changed in accordance with the regular football season (August to July).

It means a player’s entire season will be judged upon, rather than two half-seasons. As a result, the 2022 Qatar World Cup will influence the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, instead of the 2022 edition due to it taking place in the winter.

The shortlisting process has also experienced a change. It was previously drafted by journalists working for France Football and L’Équipe, but that has now been altered.

Ballon d’Or ambassador Didier Drogba will now help to finalise the shortlists as well as the “most insightful voter” from the previous edition of the award. For the men’s 2022 edition, Vietnamese journalist Truong Anh Ngoc, working for The Thao & Van Hoa, had a say in the shortlist while Czech journalist Karolina Hlavackova, working for Ruik, helped finalise the 2022 Women’s shortlist.

Didier Drogba is heavily involved in the Ballon d'Or selection process

Didier Drogba is heavily involved in the Ballon d’Or selection process

There have also been changes to the voting system. While 127 jurors, one from each country, were part of the process to decide the winner in 2021, that has now changed.

Now, only the top 100 ranked countries in FIFA’s coefficient will be able to have one representative conduct their vote. This has been to eliminate the weakest footballing countries to ensure a fair method of voting didn’t include too many people and votes from nations with a perceived lower level of football expertise didn’t make an impact.

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France Football have also cleared up the rules of how to award the victor. “The Ballon d’Or is an individual award. Also, logically, criterion number 1 will focus primarily on individual performance and the decisive and impressive character of the contenders.

“Since football remains a collective sport despite everything, criterion number 2 will focus on collective performance and the record accumulated during the season. Finally, criterion number 3 will concern the class of the player and his sense of fair play. Because setting an example also counts. The most attentive will have noticed the disappearance of the ‘player’s career’ criterion. A way of considering the race for the Ballon d’Or as an open competition, and not as a preserve.”

It has placed focus primarily on a player’s individual season, with trophies as part of a team not as important.

How is the Ballon d’Or decided and who votes?

The initial 30-man shortlist is compiled by the editors at France Football, the organisers of the event, as well as Drogba and one selected journalist. Once that list has been completed, a selection of international journalists – one representative from the top 100 nations – and national team coaches and captains come together to decide the winner.

They are each asked to choose their top five players from the 30 selected, and order them from first to fifth based on: individual and collective performances during the year, player class and an overall view of the player’s career.

The player who is selected as the winner by each voter is awarded six points, second-place is given four points, down to one point for fifth place.

The total points for each player from every journalist, coach and captain are then added together to decide third, second and first place.

When does the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony take place?

It is not yet known when the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place.

Where will the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony be?

The venue for the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony hasn’t yet been confirmed, but the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris has hosted the awards in 2019, 2021 and 2022, so it appears that the Ballon d’Or has found its home.

Who will present the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony?

It’s customary for major football award nights to feature a famous ex-professional player to help host the event. The Ballon d’Or is no different, and Chelsea hero Didier Drogba has hosted the last three Ballon d’Or ceremonies alongside French journalist Sandy Heribert, and the pair could be called upon again.

Who won the 2022 Ballon d’Or?

Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d’Or, securing his first ever Ballon d’Or award. The Frenchman helped Real Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League during the 2021/22 season, scoring 44 goals and assisting a further 15 during the campaign.

Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d'Or

Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d’Or

READ MORE: Who won the Ballon d’Or 2021? Shortlist, favourites, latest odds, date and hosts

READ MORE: Who won the Ballon d’Or 2022? Shortlist, favourites, latest odds, date and past winners

Benzema beat the likes of Sadio Mane and Kevin de Bruyne, who finished second and third respectively, to win the award.

Why was the 2020 Ballon d’Or cancelled?

The 2020 Ballon d’Or was controversially cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pause in world football in March 2020 caused uncertainty over whether games would be played and if the season would be finished.

Indeed, both Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie ended their seasons early due to the pandemic, while international competitions like Euro 2020 were postponed.

The Ballon d’Or was cancelled on 20 July 2020, with France Football revealing the reason it would not be held was due to the “lack of a sufficiently level playing field” caused by the virus.

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They added: “We did not want to put an indelible asterisk on the prize list as ‘a trophy won in exceptional circumstances due to the health crisis of Covid-19’.

“Protecting the credibility and legitimacy of such a prize also means guaranteeing its irreproachability over time.”

Bayern Munich’s Lewandowski was the favourite for the award had it not been cancelled.

The Pole was widely considered the deserving winner of the award and there has been a campaign in the footballing world to award him what is perceived to be a deserved accomplishment.

Robert Lewandowski was the heavy favourite to win the 2020 Ballon d'Or

Robert Lewandowski was the heavy favourite to win the 2020 Ballon d’Or

Between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, Lewandowski had an absurd 101 goals and 18 assists in 85 club games, helping Bayern to the Champions League title in 2020 and also winning the FIFA Best Men’s Player award.

Upon receiving the 2021 Ballon d’Or, Messi acknowledged that Lewandowski should have the 2020 award in his trophy cabinet.

“Robert, you deserve your Ballon d’Or. Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner of this award,” he said.

Past winners of the Ballon d’Or

Year Winner
1956 Stanley Matthews (England)
1957 Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
1958 Raymond Kopa (France)
1959 Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
1960 Luis Suarez (Spain)
1961 Omar Sivori (Italy)
1962 Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
1963 Lev Yashin (USSR)
1964 Denis Law (Scotland)
1965 Eusebio (Portugal)
1966 Bobby Charlton (England)
1967 Florian Albert (Hungary)
1968 George Best (Northern Ireland)
1969 Gianni Rivera (Italy)
1970 Gerd Muller (Germany)
1971 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1972 Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
1973 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1974 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1975 Oleg Blokhin (USSR)
1976 Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
1977 Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
1978 Kevin Keegan (England)
1979 Kevin Keegan (England)
1980 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
1981 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
1982 Paolo Rossi (Italy)
1983 Michel Platini (France)
1984 Michel Platini (France)
1985 Michel Platini (France)
1986 Igor Belanov (USSR)
1987 Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
1988 Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1989 Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1990 Lothar Matthaus (Germany)
1991 Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
1992 Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1993 Roberto Baggio (Italy)
1994 Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
1995 George Weah (Liberia)
1996 Matthias Sammer (Germany)
1997 Ronaldo (Brazil)
1998 Zinedine Zidane (France)
1999 Rivaldo (Brazil)
2000 Luis Figo (Portugal)
2001 Michael Owen (England)
2002 Ronaldo (Brazil)
2003 Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic)
2004 Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
2005 Ronaldinho (Brazil)
2006 Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
2007 Kaka (Brazil)
2008 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2009 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2010 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2011 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2012 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2013 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2014 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2015 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2016 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2017 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2018 Luka Modric(Croatia)
2019 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2020 N/A
2021 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2022 Karim Benzema (France)

Who has won the most Ballon d’Or trophies?

Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d’Or trophies in football history. The former Barcelona forward has come out on top seven times.

The Argentina star won the first of his seven trophies in 2009. Further triumphs followed in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019 before his most recent victory in 2021.

Cristiano Ronaldo is next in the standings with five wins. There are three players who have each come out on top three times.

They are Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten.

How many Ballon d’Or trophies has Lionel Messi won?

Seven. As well as his record number of victories, Messi has finished in second place for the Ballon d’Or five times and in third position once, giving him 13 appearances in the top three. He won the 2021 award, but he wasn’t even included in the 30-man shortlist in 2022 after his first season at Paris Saint-Germain.

How many Ballon d’Or trophies has Cristiano Ronaldo won?

Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times in his illustrious career. He claimed his first in 2008, with further successes coming in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.

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The Portugal star has also recorded six second-place finishes as well as coming third once. He finished sixth in 2021, but came a lowly 20th place in 2022 – his lowest position since 2005.

Cristiano Ronaldo came 20th in the 2022 Ballon d'Or

Cristiano Ronaldo came 20th in the 2022 Ballon d’Or

What is the Kopa Trophy?

The Kopa Trophy is an award that recognises the best-performing player under the age of 21, and was first introduced in 2018. The award is voted for by former Ballon d’Or winners.

The award is named after Raymond Kopa, a French footballing legend that won three European Cup titles with Real Madrid and won the Ballon d’Or in 1958.

Just like the Ballon d’Or, the Kopa Trophy was cancelled in 2020 so it has only been given out four times, with a different winner on each occasion.

Kylian Mbappe won the inaugural award after helping France to win the World Cup in 2018, before Matthijs de Ligt claimed the prize in 2019 on the back of Ajax’s outstanding Champions League campaign.

Pedri was successful in 2021 after a stellar year for Barcelona and Spain. His team-mate Gavi is the current holder of the award after a stunning breakout season at Barcelona in 2021-22 that also saw him break into the Spain squad.

Past winners of the Kopa Trophy

Year Winner
2018 Kylian Mbappe (France)
2019 Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands)
2020 N/A
2021 Pedri (Spain)
2022 Gavi (Spain)

The 2023 Kopa Trophy shortlist

The 2023 Kopa Trophy shortlist will not be released until closer to the ceremony.

What is the Yashin Trophy?

The Yashin Trophy is awarded to the world’s best goalkeeper each year, and is aptly named after Russian Lev Yashin, who is considered by many to have been the best goalkeeper of all time.

Just like the Kopa Trophy, former Ballon d’Or winners cast a vote to decide the winner, and the first award was won by Liverpool’s Alisson Becker in 2019.

Thibaut Courtois is the reigning Yashin Trophy winner

Thibaut Courtois is the reigning Yashin Trophy winner

Gianluigi Donnarumma was rewarded for a remarkable Euro 2020 campaign by winning the 2021 Yashin Trophy, while Thibaut Courtois’ Champions League heroics ensured he won the 2022 award.

Past winners of the Yashin Trophy

Year Winner
2019 Alisson Becker (Brazil)
2020 N/A
2021 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
2022 Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)

The 2023 Yashin Trophy shortlist

The 2023 Yashin Trophy shortlist will not be released until closer to the ceremony.

What is the Women’s Ballon d’Or?

Alongside the men’s award, there is also a women’s Ballon d’Or that was introduced in 2018.

Like the men’s award, journalists from around the world vote for who has been the best player in the world during the calendar year. Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural women’s Ballon d’Or in 2018 and Megan Rapinoe lifted the prize in 2019.

The women’s ceremony was also cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Barcelona and Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won both the 2021 and 2022 awards.

Past winners of the Women’s Ballon d’Or

Year Winner
2018 Ada Hegerberg (Sweden)
2019 Megan Rapinoe (U.S.A)
2020 N/A
2021 Alexia Putellas (Spain)
2022 Alexia Putellas (Spain)

The 2023 Women’s Ballon d’Or shortlist

The 2023 Women’s Ballon d’Or shortlist will not be released until closer to the ceremony.

What was the FIFA Ballon d’Or?

The Ballon d’Or has been its own award since 1956, but between 2010 and 2015, it merged with FIFA’s ‘World Player of the Year’ award to form the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

The FIFA World Player of the Year had been an award between 1991 and 2009, with both Ronaldo Nazario and Zinedine Zidane winning it three times, before it joined with the Ballon d’Or in 2010.

Messi won the first-ever joint award, and retained it in 2011 and 2012 as well, with Cristiano Ronaldo winning successive awards in 2013 and 2014, before Messi won the final iteration of the award in 2015.

For 2016, FIFA and France Football parted ways, with the Ballon d’Or back to being its own independent award. FIFA, meanwhile, resurrected its previous award under a new name: The Best FIFA Men’s Player.

Lewandowski is the current holder of this award after winning it in 2021. The 2022 winner will be decided in early 2023.

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