The race for the Ballon d'Or officially got under way on September 6 when France Football revealed its 30-player shortlists.
The award timeline was changed by organisers to encompass the traditional European league campaign – meaning that the 2022/23 Ballon d'Or will take into consideration performances from August 2022 through July 2023.
That includes the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which saw Argentina emerge victorious in Qatar. Lionel Messi, whose seven Ballon d'Or awards are the most of any player in the history of the honour, ended his career-long quest for the biggest prize in global football with a succession of inspired performances.
However, 22-year-old Erling Haaland racked up an astonishing 52 goals across all competitions in 2022/23 as Manchester City swept the board with a treble — a body of work that will challenge the resolve of the voters and could foster a battle of importance between national team glory and club success.
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, and put in strong showings for his country and new club Inter Miami.
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.
Others within shouting distance include Messi's former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, Brazil star Vinicius Jr. and Man City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
Odds updated as of Monday, October 30, 2023.
| BetOnSports (UK) | Dafabet (India) | |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 1/9 | 1.11 |
| Erling Haaland | 9/2 | 5.5 |
| Kevin de Bruyne | 50/1 | 51.00 |
| Vinicius Jr | 50/1 | 51.00 |
| Rodri | 50/1 | 51.00 |
| Kylian Mbappe | 66/1 | 67.00 |
| Harry Kane | 80/1 | 81.00 |
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 Lionel 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 |