Ballon d’Or Winner Odds: Messi firm favourite to claim 8th honour
Our betting expert brings you the latest Ballon d’Or winner odds, with Lionel Messi leading the way as he looks to claim his eighth title.
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award any single player can receive, as they are anointed as the best footballer in the world by a panel of experts, as well as international coaches and captains.
The rules of the award changed recently in 2022, with the award now coverung a football season's achievement instead of the calendar year.
Ballon d’Or Winner Odds
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This is one of the shortest markets in recent history and potentially marks the end of an era with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and now Messi from top flight European football.
Despite this, Messi still looks on course to win the eighth Ballon d'Or of his career, with Erling Haaland seemingly losing the race despite winning the treble with Manchester City.
Messi @2/7
Lionel Messi is the obvious favourite to win the Ballon d'Or for a record-extending eighth time despite a disappointing end to his career at Paris St-Germain.
Messi, who has signed for MLS side Inter Miami after leaving PSG, could be forgiven an underwhelming second half of the 2022-23 club season after leading Argentina to a spectacular 2022 World Cup triumph in December.
He scored seven goals at the tournament in Qatar, including a brace in the final, and also claimed three assists for world champions Argentina, showcasing his creative and finishing talents as well as his big-match mentality.
Messi's wonderful World Cup means he should see off Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who is rated the main danger in the Ballon d'Or betting at 5/2.
The prolific Haaland had a record-breaking debut season in the Premier League, helping Manchester City win the treble, but he failed to score in the Champions League semi-finals or final and his Norway side were not at the 2022 World Cup finals.
Erling Haaland @9/4
Erling Haaland in almost any other year would've earned the right to claim the Ballon d’Or, however unfortunately for him, this so happened to be the season Messi won the World Cup.
Winning the treble with Manchester City, the first in their history and the first by an English side since 1998/99, is a hugely impressive feat, however this doesn't seem to have had any effect on his odds of winning a first Ballon d'Or.
He did manage to score 52 goals for Man City this season, the most in Europe, and break the Premier League goalscoring record after netting 36 in the league this year.
His achievements this year cannot be understated, and he is possibly the best footballer in Europe at present, and would be a worthy recipient of the Ballon d’Or.
Despite this, it seems he's set to fall short of this goal if his odds are anything to go by.
Kevin De Bruyne @40/1
Haaland's Manchester City teammates Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne are also in the Ballon d'Or conversation after their starring roles in City's Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble.
De Bruyne, third in the 2022 Ballon d'Or voting, had another outstanding season and could be worth a small bet to deny Messi at 40/1, having been at the heart of City's magnificent attacking unit.
He registered 16 assists in 32 Premier League appearances in 2022-23, four more than any other player in the English top flight, and also chipped in with several important goals.
De Bruyne scored three times in City's two crucial league wins over title rivals Arsenal and struck a stunning long-range equaliser in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid, although Belgium's group-stage exit at the World Cup will count against him.
Kylian Mbappe @66/1
France and PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe may have to wait a little longer for his first Ballon d'Or but odds of 66/1 look too big for a player who scored a hat-trick in December's World Cup final.
Les Bleus lost the final on penalties to Messi's Argentina but Mbappe had the consolation prize of the World Cup Golden Boot after scoring eight goals in a brilliant campaign in Qatar.
Still only 24, he went on to finish as the top scorer in Ligue 1 for the fifth season in a row and picked up the sixth French title of his career.
Messi's World Cup triumph and PSG's early exit from the Champions League mean it would be something of a shock if Mbappe got the nod in the 2023 Ballon d'Or vote but it is surely only a matter of time before he lands the award.
