Highlights
- Lionel Messi is expected to win his eighth Ballon d'Or based on his impressive performances in the 2023 calendar year, including winning the World Cup with Argentina and achieving success with Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.
- The voting process for the Ballon d'Or involves 100 journalists from the top 100 UEFA Nations, who each submit their top five player picks. Previous questionable votes from journalists, like Hafiz Marikar, led to a reduction in the number of journalists allowed to vote.
- Marikar's votes in previous years have been controversial, including ignoring clear winners like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and selecting players like Leonardo Bonucci and Trent Alexander-Arnold instead. These votes differed greatly from the overall consensus and impacted the final rankings.