The 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony saw Lionel Messi crowned victor for a record-extending eighth time following his long-awaited FIFA World Cup triumph.
Erling Haaland, who many thought was a deserving winner too, didn’t walk away empty-handed, however, as he bagged the Gerd Muller Trophy for scoring 56 goals last season.
Henceforth, France Football and UEFA announced a deal that would see UEFA contribute to the marketing, football expertise, and organization of the ceremony. The voting process, however, will remain under the control of France Football, and hence the format will not change.
The current voting process for the Men’s Ballon d’Or comprises a list of 100 journalists selected from the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations in the world. One journalist from each country then ranks the best five players of the season from a list of 30 nominees selected by France Football.
A player ranked first on a journalist’s vote will have more points than the one ranked second, and so on. The total points accumulated for each player from the ballot of the 100 journalists determines their Ballon d’Or rank.
For the 2023 Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi accumulated 462 points, comfortably beating Haaland by a margin of 105. Meanwhile, the latter collected 357 points following his impressive treble-winning season with Manchester City.
Zambian journalist settled for Messi.
2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe finished on 270 points, while midfield maestro Kevin de Bruyne collected 100 points. Rounding off the top 5 was the UEFA Champions League final match winner, Rodri, with 57 points.
Sports journalist and Bolanews contributor Mathews Kabamba represented Zambia during the 2023 Ballon d’Or vote. Topping his vote list was the eventual winner, Lionel Messi.
Erling Haaland came in second, and Kylian Mbappe came in third according to Zambian voters. Victor Osimhen’s majestic season with Napoli, which saw him score 31 times in 39 games, got him a 4th-place slot. Mohamed Salah, a Liverpool star, came in fifth place in Zambia’s Ballon d’Or poll.
