Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: February 2023
The Ballon d'Or is widely regarded as the most prestigious individual award in football. Winning it is a dream for any player. The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the best performing footballer of the season by French news magazine France Football.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d'Or in recent years, with Messi winning the award a record seven times and Ronaldo winning it five times. The winner of the award is chosen on the basis of a combination of votes from media representatives, national team captains, and coaches.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings for the month of February.
#10 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
21-year-old Bukayo Saka is one of Mikel Arteta's main men in what could be a dream Premier League campaign for Arsenal. The Gunners are currently at the top of the league table. If they can keep up the good work, they could win their first Premier League title in 19 years.
Saka has become a menace down the right wing for the Gunners. The Englishman possesses exquisite technique and can run rings around thanks to his wonderful dribbling ability. Saka's finishing and decision-making have also improved massively this season.
In 31 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners so far this term, Saka has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists.
#9 Neymar Jr. (Paris Saint-Germain)
Neymar was in red-hot form at the start of the season. But since the World Cup break, his form has tailed off drastically. He has slipped several places in our Ballon d'Or Power Rankings despite having already stacked up incredible numbers.
The 31-year-old has scored 18 goals and provided 17 assists in 29 appearances across all competitions for PSG so far this season. He seems to be gradually regaining his touch and it won't be too surprising if he returns to form in the coming months when PSG will need him most.
#8 Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
Vinicius Junior is having yet another brilliant season. He is now establishing himself as one of Real Madrid's most important players. Vinicius did suffer a dip in form following the World Cup break but returned to his best in the Club World Cup final.
He followed that up with a mesmerizing performance against Liverpool in the first leg of Real Madrid's Champions League Round of 16 tie. The 22-year-old scored two goals and provided an assist as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield.
He has scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in 35 appearances across all competitions for Los Blancos so far this season.
#7 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the breakout star of the 2022-23 season in Europe. A relatively unknown commodity until the start of the season, 'Kvaradona' is well on his way to superstardom.
His incredible ability on the ball and consistency has gone a long way towards making Napoli one of the strongest sides on the continent. In 25 appearances across all competitions for the Partenopei, the Georgia international has scored 12 goals and provided 15 assists.
#6 Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
We're witnessing Victor Osimhen's glorious step-up this season. He missed a month of action in the early stages of the season but has made an emphatic return.
Osimhen has scored 20 goals and provided four assists in 24 appearances across all competitions for Napoli so far this season. His incredible pace, ability to sniff out chances, positioning, and movement have been exemplary in recent weeks.
If he can keep this up and win the Serie A title, Osimhen will climb higher up in the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings.
#5 Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Marcus Rashford is in the form of his life right now. He is playing with a renewed sense of confidence and has been a force to be reckoned with since the World Cup break. Rashford has been scoring goals for fun and has often taken games by the collar and won them for Manchester United in recent weeks.
Rashford has scored 24 goals and provided nine assists in 37 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United so far this season. The 25-year-old will play in the EFL Cup final on Sunday and if he can win some silverware this season, he'll be a serious contender for the Ballon d'Or.
Marcus Rashford on the Carabao Cup final: “Yeah, it's a final. Yeah, you might have to approach it a little bit differently. But the end goal is the same as the beginning of the season and it's to try and win the game.” [MEN]
#4 Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Despite Erling Haaland's phenomenal goalscoring form, the jury is out on whether or not he has effectively improved Manchester City as a team. Haaland has been in prolific goalscoring form as always but on days when he doesn't find the back of the net, he is not up to much.
He is definitely a future Ballon d'Or contender but he will need to up his game in the coming months to make the podium this year. The 22-year-old has scored 32 goals and provided four assists in 32 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City so far this season.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski has brought his elite marksmanship to Camp Nou and Barcelona are greatly benefitting from it this season. They currently sit at the top of the La Liga table with an eight-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid.
Lewandowski has scored 25 goals and provided six assists in 30 appearances across all competitions for the Catalans so far this season. If he can help Barca win the league title, he will be a serious contender in the Ballon d'Or race for a second successive year.
#2 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Kylian Mbappe's heroics at the 2022 FIFA World Cup have helped him truly establish himself as a modern-day great at age 24. Mbappe is playing some incredible football and if he keeps this up and helps PSG win trophies, he might just take home his first-ever Ballon d'Or.
Mbappe has scored 27 goals and provided six assists in 28 appearances across all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain so far this season.
#1 Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
After firing Argentina to World Cup glory and winning the Golden Ball in the tournament, Lionel Messi is the odds-on favorite to win the Ballon d'Or this year. He has been in spectacular form for PSG as well and has been scoring goals and creating them to equal effect.
In 27 appearances across all competitions for PSG so far this season, Messi has scored 16 goals and provided four assists. Could Messi win a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or this year? He seems to be on course to accomplish it.
Lionel Messi is the current favourite to win the 2022 FIFA Best Men’s Player of the year Award on Monday, reports @relevo.
‼️🇦🇷 Lionel Messi is the current favourite to win the 2022 FIFA Best Men’s Player of the year Award on Monday, reports @relevo. https://t.co/XExoUZs5Ov