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The 2023 Ballon d'Or award is set to be handed out at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday (October 30), with three favorites in the race. Lionel Messi is one of the trio, while Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are both thought to be eager to upset the 36-year-old's dominance.
Ahead of the announcement, here's a look at each of their numbers:
Lionel Messi, 2022-23 statistics
Messi, who joined Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami on a Bosman move from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) earlier this July, is highly likely to extend his record to eight Ballon d'Or wins. He helped Argentina lift their third FIFA World Cup trophy the past year, and PSG win the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title and the Trophee des Champions crown.
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A 178-cap Argentina international, Messi contributed seven goals and three assists in seven 2022 FIFA World Cup matches. He also scored 21 goals and provided 20 assists in 41 games for PSG the previous season.
Erling Haaland, 2022-23 statistics
Haaland, 23, took Europe by storm after moving to Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund for an initial £51 million last summer. He guided his team to the Premier League title, the UEFA Champions League crown, and the FA Cup past campaign, completing a famed treble.
Combining with fellow 2023 Ballon d'Or nominees Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, Haaland netted a whopping 52 goals in 53 appearances for City last season. Apart from finishing as the Premier League and the Champions League top-scorer, he also laid out nine assists.
Kylian Mbappe, 2022-23 statistics
Mbappe, 24, relished a fine campaign in front of goal, even bagging the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot award last December. Despite failing to guide France to a second straight World Cup victory, he led PSG to the Ligue 1 title and the Trophee des Champions trophy.
A former AS Monaco star, Mbappe scored 41 goals and registered 10 assists in 43 games across all competitions for PSG past campaign. He also netted eight goals, including a stellar hat-trick in the final, and laid out two assists in seven 2022 FIFA World Cup appearances.
Pep Guardiola gives his take on Ballon d'Or race between Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland
Speaking after his side's recent 3-0 victory at Manchester United, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claimed that both Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland deserve to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or. He elaborated:
"The Ballon d'Or award? I have great affection for both of them. If Messi wins, it will be a fair win because of the World Cup win, and if Haaland wins, it will be fair to the season he had. They should give two awards this year because they both deserve to win."
Apart from the aforementioned pair, a number of other world-class stars have also been nominated for this year's Ballon d'Or. Kylian Mbappe, Kevin De Bruyne, Jude Bellingham, Mohamed Salah, Rodri, Vinicius Jr., Robert Lewandowski and Bukayo Saka are some of the names.
As for the women's Ballon d'Or award, Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati is likely to emerge triumphant this year. Sam Kerr, Mary Earps, Alex Popp, and Olga Carmona are a few of the other contenders.
