Ballon d’Or 2023: How Ronaldo’s Portugal Voted As Messi Wins Eighth Award

• The full voting list for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award has been officially released
• Portugal was one of the top 100 ranked nations involved in the voting process
• The Iberian nation placed two football stars ahead of Lionel Messi on the list

The thrilling face-off between Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland for the 2023 Ballon d'Or Awards culminated in the Argentine securing his record-breaking eighth title at the 67th edition of the esteemed awards.

France Football, the organisers of the annual event honouring the best footballers in the world, recently released a comprehensive breakdown of the voting points from each of the participating nations.

Messi dominates Haaland in Ballon voting

According to Essentially Sports, Messi garnered an impressive 462 points, firmly establishing his claim to the prestigious accolade.

Meanwhile, Haaland, the anticipated runner-up in the race for the prize, accumulated 357 points, trailing behind Messi by a margin of 105 points.

2023 Ballon d'Or: Ronaldo Nazario picks between Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland

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Kylian Mbappe, securing the third position, received 270 points, while Kevin De Bruyne amassed 100 points to secure the fourth place.

How Portugal voted during 2023 Ballon d'Or

Notably, the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo from the 30-man shortlist marked the first time since 2003 the Portugal star failed to make an appearance.

Regardless, Joaquim Rita - a journalist from the Portuguese news outlet SIC Noticias - was designated to decide his country's Ballon d'Or votes.

As expected, he favoured compatriot and treble-winning Manchester City midfielder, Bernardo Silva, positioning him at the top of his selection.

Additionally, Rita included Real Madrid star, Vinicius Junior in second position while reserving the third spot for Ronaldo's perennial rival, Messi.

Haaland - Silva's teammate at Man City - and Mbappe secured the fourth and fifth positions, respectively, according to Rita's voting roster for Portugal.

How does the Ballon d'Or voting work?

A panel comprising 100 journalists was designated and provided with a list of 30 players for consideration, as cited by All Football.

How Ballon d'Or voting works ahead of Messi vs. Haaland 2023 battle

Football

These journalists are selected in accordance with FIFA's rankings, ensuring one journalist from each of the top 100 ranked nations has the privilege to cast a vote (although some may choose to abstain).

This process is sometimes mistaken for the voting procedure for the organisation's own award, The Best, which the managers and captains of national teams determine.

Each journalist is tasked with ranking their top five players, where the first pick receives six points, the second is granted four, the third obtains three, the fourth receives two, and the fifth is awarded one point.

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Messi wins 8th Ballon d'Or prize

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Lionel Messi winning the Ballon d'Or for the eighth time in his career at a star-studded ceremony in Paris on October 30.

The 36-year-old succeeds Karim Benzema as the winner, awarded for his performances last season when he inspired Argentina to World Cup success.