Everyone knows Messi will win the award in Paris on Monday - but who could be a plausible alternative? Our writers have their say...
Monday night sees football’s glitterati descend on Paris for the Ballon d’Or Awards, judging the sport’s best performers from the 2022-23 season. But, in the men’s category at least, the result is already a foregone conclusion. is widely assumed in the bag, having inspired to a first World Cup final win since 1986 at his fifth attempt and at the age of 35 – a triumph that represented the crowning glory of his remarkable career.
The same protagonist said months before that he “fulfilled all the requirements” to compete for the Ballon d’Or with Messi or Haaland, and based on his 2022-23 output, he has a point. He helped PSG retain the French title, was Ligue 1’s top scorer with 29, broke the record for goals by a Frenchman for club and country in one season and scored a hat-trick in one of the greatest World Cup finals ever to secure the tournament Golden Boot .