The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award held by the French news magazine France Football since 1956. From 2010-2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award had been merged temporarily with the FIFA World Player of the Year and was called the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
From Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo, the race for this prestigious award always goes down to the wire until the season's end.
Already, it appears to be a promising battle for the 2022-23 Ballon d'Or since the World Cup just got over and it has boosted the chances for some players to get their hands on the prizes. Hence, here is a look at the top 5 contenders for the race and going into the campaign's second half with an eye on the accolade.
1. Kevin de Bruyne
He is a sumptuous player in the making and that was evident in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Bruyne has been criticized a lot by Belgium out in the Group stage of the World Cup. He is always driving forward with the ball.
2. Vinicious Junior
The UEFA Super Cup winner with Real Marid already has 11 goals and 9 assists in the 2022-2023 campaign. He primarily plays as a left winger and has a burst of speed about him.
3. Erling Haaland
Many believe that no World Cup means any Ballon d’Or but the footballer has already scrubbed the stats of the season by its neck. This brutal force of nature is topping the charts for now.
4. Kylian Mbappe
He is the Golden Boot Winner of the World Cup 2022. The stats of the 23-year-old player are just unparalleled. He has scored 27 goals and has 7 assists for the country, as well as the club.
5. Lionel Messi
For the first time in 10 years, Lionel Messi wasn’t in the top 30 nominees for Ballon d’Or in the last campaign. The Magic Man has completed his legacy and won every other trophy in the world of football.
