Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: July 2023
The Ballon d'Or represents the pinnacle of individual achievement in the world of football. French news magazine France Football presents the Ballon d'Or to the best-performing footballer in a season. Ever since its introduction, it has become one of the most coveted honours in the beautiful game.
Karim Benzema won the Ballon d'Or in 2022 after firing Real Madrid to glory in La Liga as well as the Champions League in the 2021-22 season. He was the odds-on favourite to win the award last year. However, things are more complicated this year and it has become quite difficult to predict the winner this time around.
Several players accomplished remarkable feats in the 2022-23 season and it's going to be a close call when the winner is finally announced on October 29.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings for the month of July (2023).
#10 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski was expected to improve Barcelona's attack dramatically when he joined them last summer from Bayern Munich. The Polish icon managed to accomplish what he set out to do. He brought his prolific goalscoring form to the Spotify Camp Nou and his goals helped Barcelona win the La Liga title.
The 34-year-old scored 33 goals and provided eight assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for the Catalans last season. However, he is unlikely to make the Ballon d'Or podium this year let alone win the prestigious award that has eluded him in recent years.
#9 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia/Napoli)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the breakout star of the 2022-23 season. The Georgia international wasn't very well-known when he arrived in Naples last summer. However, he became an instant hit and a huge fan favourite among the Partenopei very early on in the season by virtue of his dazzling displays.
Kvaratskhelia wreaked havoc for Napoli with his incredible dribbling skills, passing, vision and shooting range. The 22-year-old's form did tail off a bit since the turn of the year but his exploits were still crucial in helping Napoli earn their first Serie A title in 33 years.
He scored 14 goals and provided 17 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions for Napoli last term.
#8 Vinicius Junior (Brazil/Real Madrid)
Vinicius Junior was one of Real Madrid's standout performers as they won La Liga and Champions League titles in the 2021-22 season. He only went and took it up a notch last term and was in scintillating form for Real Madrid.
Vinicius' heroics played a vital role in Real Madrid winning the Copa del Rey, FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. However, falling short of winning the La Liga and the Champions League titles will cost Vinicius in the race for the Ballon d'Or this year.
In 55 appearances across all competitions, the Brazilian winger scored 23 goals and provided 21 assists.
#7 Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Napoli)
Victor Osimhen managed to etch his name into Napoli folklore with his performances last term. He rounded off the best individual campaign of his career so far by scoring the goal that sealed Napoli's first Serie A title in 33 years. He has now become one of the most coveted strikers on the planet.
The Nigerian marksman scored 31 goals and provided five assists in 39 appearances in all competitions for Napoli in the 2022-23 season.
#6 Ilkay Gundogan (Germany/Barcelona)
Ilkay Gundogan has now joined Barcelona on a free transfer and will be sorely missed at Manchester City next season. In addition to being one of the most technically gifted midfielders of his generation, Gundogan has shown an almost inimitable ability to come up clutch in crunch scenarios.
Gundogan was arguably Manchester City's best player in the home straight of the 2022-23 season. With his exceptional form towards the end of the campaign, Gundogan ensured City reached the promised land and won the continental treble.
The 32-year-old bagged a brace in the FA Cup final against Manchester United. He also scored four goals and provided an assist in City's last three games of the Premier League season as they pipped Arsenal to the league title.
Gundogan scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for City in the 2022-23 season.
#5 Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
As usual, Kevin De Bruyne was Manchester City's creator-in-chief in their historic treble-winning season. The Belgian midfielder struck up a great partnership with Erling Haaland and his incredible passing range and vision often gave City the edge over their opponents.
De Bruyne provided a whopping 31 assists and scored 10 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side last term. It wouldn't be surprising if the 32-year-old made it to the Ballon d'Or podium this time around.
#4 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
Kylian Mbappe had yet another incredible season at an individual level. He won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain and finished the campaign as the top scorer in the league with 29 goals from 34 appearances.
Mbappe also won the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and even scored a hat-trick in France's loss against Argentina in the final of football's showpiece tournament.
However, a Round of 16 exit from the Champions League and falling just short of winning the World Cup will hamper his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or this year.
If the award ends up being purely judged on individual merit, Mbappe could make the podium or perhaps even walk away with the Ballon d'Or this year. After all, he scored 41 goals and provided 10 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain last term.
#3 Rodri (Spain/Manchester City)
Rodri is arguably the best holding midfielder in the world. The Manchester City midfield lynchpin has been a force to be reckoned with in the centre of the pitch. He works tirelessly and his game-reading ability coupled with his technical excellence make him an absolute stalwart in midfield.
Rodri started 52 games across all competitions for City in the 2022-23 season, the most of any player in their squad. The Spaniard not only won the continental treble with City but also played a crucial role in Spain's UEFA Nations League triumph.
He has four goals and seven assists to his name in 56 appearances in all competitions for the Cityzens last term.
#2 Erling Haaland (Norway/Manchester City)
Erling Haaland joined Manchester City last term and took the Premier League by storm. He broke countless goalscoring records including the one for most goals scored by any player in a single Premier League season. The Manchester City striker netted 36 times in his debut campaign in the English top flight.
At 22 years of age, Haaland has already established himself as the best striker on the planet and his prolific goalscoring form played a crucial role in making Manchester City the absolute juggernaut they were last term.
He scored 52 goals and provided nine assists in 53 appearances in all competitions for City in the 2022-23 season. Having won the continental treble with them, there's every chance Haaland could win his maiden Ballon d'Or this year.
#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Inter Miami)
Could Lionel Messi win a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or this year? The legendary Argentinian has certainly made a great case for it. For starters, he fired Argentina to World Cup glory and won the Golden Ball at the tournament.
His form did waver in the second half of the season but Messi was one of the chief architects of PSG's Ligue 1 triumph last season. The 35-year-old, who has now joined Inter Miami, also put up very respectable numbers for his club.
In 41 appearances across all competitions for PSG in the 2022-23 season, Messi scored 21 goals and provided 20 assists.