The 2023 Ballon d’Or award has come and gone, with Lionel Messi receiving the prestigious award for the eighth time in his career, the most of any player in the history of the Ballon d’Or. Messi’s eighth triumph did not sit well with a lot of people, as they claimed the Argentine soccer guru was favored over Erling Haaland.
However, the voting patterns have been revealed, with journalists from FIFA’s top 100 nations deciding the winner. While the majority of the first-place picks went to Lionel Messi, some journalists did not pick the Argentine in their top 5 choices, particularly the ones from Portugal, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.
Figuring out journalists’ 2023 Ballon d’Or voting patterns
The Ballon d’Or final ranking is always determined by journalists from FIFA’s top 100 countries, and the 2023 Ballon d’Or ranking was not an exception. Lionel Messi claimed the award over Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, and while many people were not pleased with the result, it came out in the most transparent way possible as each journalist’s vote was revealed.
Each journalist has the chance to pick 5 choices, and the order of the players in each list attracts certain points. For example, the first choice gets six points, the second gets four points, the third gets three points, the fourth gets two points, and the last gets just one point.
Out of the 100 journalists, Messi racked up 65 first-place votes, which means he amassed 390 points from his first-place picks, compared to Haaland’s 22 (132 points) and Kylian Mbappe’s 5 (30 points).
These 65 first-place votes were enough to secure him his eighth Ballon d’Or, which the World Cup winner celebrated with his Inter Miami family a few days after the awards ceremony.
His triumph at the ceremony also attracted tributes from several ex-teammates, including Ronaldinho and Neymar, who did not hesitate to congratulate him on his achievement.
He also got a special tribute from Adidas, who honored him with eight gold rings, signifying each Ballon d’Or award in his closet.
Notable journalists didn’t pick Messi or Haaland first
According to Give Me Sport, out of the 100 journalists, some journalists picked other players ahead of Messi and Haaland in the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards. Cameroon’s Emmanuel Gustave Samnick picked Kylian Mbappe, De Bruyne, Rodri, Onana, and Bernando Silva as his best choices. Ivory Coast’s Adam Khalil picked Mbappe as his top choice, with Osimhen, Rodri, Alvarez, and Messi in the other spots.
Portugal’s Joaquim Rita failed to rank Messi in his top two, just like Cameroon’s Samnick. The Portuguese journalist picked Silva, Vinicius Jr., Messi, Haaland, and Mbappe as his top five options.
Despite losing the 2023 Ballon d’Or award to Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland’s rise to the top of global football must have made him proud, considering that four years ago, he was playing for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Who will win next year’s Ballon d’Or between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe? Or will it be someone else? Tell us your predictions in the comments section.
