Switzerland journalist names surprise star in Ballon d'Or 5 while ignoring Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe
Switzerland journalist Christophe Cerf's Ballon d'Or 2023 top-five choices have emerged, with winner Lionel Messi and third-placed Kylian Mbappe conspicuous by their absence.
Messi won a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or award earlier this week, with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland finishing second and PSG record scorer Mbappe ending third.
The 2023 winner was voted for by 100 selected journalists handpicked by FIFA from the world's top 100-ranked nations. Switzerland's Cerf went for Haaland as his winner, but the rest of his top four raised a few eyebrows.
He went for Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Jr., former Sevilla and current Morocco custodian Bounou, Manchester City's treble-winning midfielder Bernardo Silva and Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka.
Here's the tweet from Albiceleste Talk revealing the Ballon d'Or votes of all 100 invited journalists for the 2023 award.
Among the quintet, Saka is the only one who did not win any silverware. His Arsenal side finished second in the Premier League, Round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League, fourth round in the FA Cup and third round in the League Cup.
How did Ballon d'Or 2023 winner Lionel Messi fare last season?
Lionel Messi created more Ballon d'Or history on Monday night in Paris, winning his eighth award. That's three more than Cristiano Ronaldo, the competition's second-most successful player.
Messi, 36, had a decent season with his club side Paris Saint-Germain, bagging 21 goals and 20 assists across competitions. Thanks to his exploits, Christophe Galtier's side won their second straight Ligue 1 title but were eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 for the second straight year. Messi and Co. also suffered early elimination in the domestic cups.
However, Messi's stellar exploits in Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup win swayed votes in his favour. The Inter Miami attacker contributed seven goals and three assists in seven games. He scored in all four knockout games, including a brace in the final against France, as La Albiceleste won their first World Cup in 36 years, third overall.
The Argentina captain also won the Golden Ball, becoming the first player to win it twice, having also won it in 2014.