Lionel Messi dominated the Ballon d’Or 2023 vote, receiving 462 points, while the second-placed Erling Haaland garnered 357 points.
In third place, Kylian Mbappe received 270 points, and Kevin De Bruyne came in fourth with 100 points. The following positions in the top 10 were held by Rodri (57 points), Vinicius Junior (49), Julian Alvarez (28), Victor Osimhen (24), Bernardo Silva (20), and Luka Modric (19).
The Ballon d’Or is voted on by journalists and national team captains from countries ranked within the top 100 of the FIFA rankings. This year, 92 out of 100 countries participated. When converted to votes, Messi received 68 countries’ support for the Ballon d’Or 2023. Haaland received 20 votes, Mbappe received three votes, and the remaining vote went to Bernardo Silva.
The detailed list of votes from various countries revealed interesting points. For instance, France’s representative chose Haaland for the Ballon d’Or instead of their home-grown talent, Mbappe. Although he only ranked ninth with 20 points, Bernardo Silva was the only player to receive votes outside of the top three contenders, Messi, Haaland, and Mbappe, as he received a single vote from Portugal.
Each player was awarded points based on their placement on the ballots. Specifically, the first position received six points, the second received four points, the third received three points, the fourth received two points, and the fifth received one point. Before the vote, editors from the French magazine L’Equipe held discussions with experts, including former forward Didier Drogba, to determine the list of the 30 players participating in the vote on September 6th.
The Ballon d’Or voting structure may change the following year, as France Football announced a collaboration with UEFA to present the award. This partnership could modify some player selection criteria and point calculation methods, emphasizing UEFA-managed tournaments rather than FIFA competitions like the World Cup.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin expressed excitement about this collaboration and believed that UEFA could enhance the credibility of the Ballon d’Or. The voting process will remain under the supervision of France Football, with UEFA handling marketing and gala organization. From 2010 to 2015, the Ballon d’Or was merged with FIFA’s Best Men’s Player award. However, following controversies, France Football terminated this partnership, and FIFA introduced a new award – FIFA The Best.
