"He is the best player in the world and always will be" - Barcelona superstar wants Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has backed Lionel Messi to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or. The Uruguayan centre-back insists the former Blaugrana captain remains the best player in the world.

The race for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award is finally nearing its end. The winner of the accolade will be announced this Monday (October 30) by the organizers, France Football. The award ceremony will be held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.

As expected, seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is among the leading candidates fighting for the prize. The Argentine has received a lot of backing in the race once again after leading his country to claim the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year.

The support continues to get bigger for the Inter Miami maestro and his former colleague at Barcelona Ronald Araujo has also lent his voice towards his cause. The defender is confident Messi remains unmatched in the football world and feels he should get the sport's most coveted prize once again this year.

“I hope Messi can win the Ballon d'Or," he said in quotes carried by All About Argentina on Twitter.

"He is the best player in the world and always will be. I always say that and we can all see the talent he has. He is amazing," the Barcelona star added.

Lionel Messi's World Cup triumph puts him in pole position to win this year's Ballon d'Or. He also registered 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 games for Paris Saint-Germain, winning the Ligue 1 title.

However, it is worth noting that the Argentine will face serious competition from Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. The Norwegian also had a successful outing during the course of the year and is equally receiving massive support.

Haaland was influential as Manchester City claimed a historic treble last season, recording a whopping 52 goals and nine assists in 53 games across all competitions. He finished as top scorer in the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and across Europe's top five leagues.

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Who else joins Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland in the Ballon d'Or race?

Apart from Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, PSG forward Kylian Mbappe should be taken seriously in the race for the accolade this season. The Frenchman also had an outstanding year with club and country.

Mbappe led France into the final of the World Cup where they lost to Argentina in a shootout. He was the competition's top scorer with eight goals in seven games, to go with three assists, picking up the Golden Boot as a result. He also bagged 41 goals and 10 assists for PSG, with whom he won the Ligue 1 title and the French Super Cup.

Other honorable contenders are Manchester City duo Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski.