Ballon d’Or: Ranking Likely Positions of the Five La Liga Stars Nominated Alongside Lionel Messi

• The 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d‘Or has been released
• Five La Liga stars made the final shortlist
• Sports Brief takes a look at the likely positions these stars could finish on the rankings

France Football has released the nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or after carefully selecting an elite list of top-performing footballers over the last footballing year. Among the shortlisted players were five representing the Spanish La Liga.

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr., new signing Jude Bellingham, and veteran midfielder Luka Modric are accompanied by Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski and former Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan.

As per Goal reports, the Ballon d’Or Awards are set to take place on October 30 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. Consequently, Sports Brief predicts the possible positions where the five La Liga contenders for the award shortlist could finish.

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Vinicius Jr.

During the 2022/23 season, the Brazilian sensation experienced the peak of his individual performances while with Real Madrid, contributing to a remarkable 44 goals. He also clinched the Copa del Rey trophy, along with the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

For the second consecutive year, Vinicius is nominated, and we anticipate him finishing fifth in the overall rankings.

Jude Bellingham

The English midfielder has made a significant impact in the Spanish La Liga, earning a well-deserved spot on the 2023 Ballon d’Or shortlist. Bellingham played a direct role in 13 of Borussia Dortmund’s goals last season and was recognized as the best player in the German Bundesliga.

Additionally, the 20-year-old midfielder is also shortlisted for the Kopa trophy, and we predict he will secure the 10th position in the Ballon d’Or final rankings.

Luka Modric

The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner once again finds himself on the shortlist for football’s most prestigious award. Modric guided Nico Kovac’s side to a Nations League Silver medal and secured a bronze medal at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

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Despite Real Madrid falling short of replicating their 2022 Champions League success, Modric was involved in 12 goals for the club. Sports Brief predicts a 12th-place finish for the veteran midfielder.

Robert Lewandowski

The 35-year-old Polish striker played a pivotal role in Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona winning the La Liga title last season. Lewandowski netted an impressive 33 goals and provided eight assists in 43 games, with few players boasting a better goalscoring record than the former Bayern Munich forward.

However, his subdued performance in the World Cup with Poland and a slow start to the current campaign lead us to predict an 11th-place finish for the forward.

Ilkay Gundogan

The 32-year-old former Manchester City captain played a crucial part in the English club’s treble-winning season, contributing with important goals that helped secure every available trophy.

With 18 goal involvements for the Cityzens, including a pivotal brace against Manchester United in the FA Cup final, we anticipate the German midfielder will secure the 8th position in the final Ballon d’Or standings.

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Ballon d’Or: Messi to beat Haaland?

In a previous report, Sports Brief gave a breakdown of why Messi holds the Ballon d’Or advantage over Erling Haaland in the 2023 vote despite the Manchester City star winning the treble.

Apart from the World Cup factor, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner starred in major games compared to the Norwegian’s outings in big games in the Champions League.