Ballon d'Or 2023: Where to watch ceremony and Messi's rival
Lionel Messi (Getty Images)
The cult French media France Football is preparing to announce the winner of the most prestigious individual award in the world of football – the Ballon d'Or. The contenders for the prize are the world champion of the Argentine national team, Lionel Messi, and the treble winner with English Manchester City, Erling Haaland, according to the magazine's Twitter.
The 2023 Ballon d'Or award ceremony will take place on October 30 in Paris. The event will be held at the Théâtre du Châtelet and the main event of the evening will start at 9:45 p.m. Kyiv time. You can watch the ceremony live here.
Starting from 6:45 p.m., France Football will announce the footballers who ranked from 30th to 11th in the survey. Later, the top 10 players will be revealed, and the women's award, the Yashin Trophy (best goalkeeper), the Müller Trophy (top scorer), the Kopa Trophy (best young player), and the Socrates Award will also be presented.
This year, Lionel Messi is the top contender for the award. He led the Argentine national team to triumph in the 2022 World Cup and became a champion with Paris Saint-Germain. The odds for another victory of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner from the Favbet bookmaker are 1.10.
Meanwhile, the odds for Haaland's triumph are significantly higher, at 5.00. The chances for the rest of the football stars are practically unrealistic. For example, bets on Kylian Mbappé are at 30.00, and on Vinicius Junior at 50.00. Similar odds are offered for Kevin De Bruyne, Karim Benzema, and Rodri's victory.
Lionel Messi in 2023
In the 2022/23 season, Lionel Messi played for Paris Saint-Germain. He played 41 matches in all competitions for the Parisians, scoring 21 goals and providing 20 assists.
In the summer, Messi signed a 2.5-year contract with Inter Miami, and he will earn 50-60 million dollars per season. Along with the striker, his former Barcelona teammates Alba and Busquets also joined Inter Miami. They led Inter Miami to victory in the Cup of Leagues in the United States and Mexico.
With the Argentine national team, Messi started in the qualification for the 2026 World Cup. In the first qualification match, he scored the only goal in the match against Ecuador (1-0). The goal from a free-kick allowed him to equal David Beckham's record for the most free-kick goals.
