Ballon d’Or 2023: Voting details show Messi won by three-digit margin

Messi was recognised as the best footballer ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe.

World Cup champion Lionel Messi and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the 2023 Men’s and Women’s Ballons d’Or by substantial margins, as revealed by France Football.

The contest between Messi and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland was expected to be close, however details of the vote shows Messi finished 105 points clear of the second-placed Norwegian footballer.

Acculmating a collective of 462 points, Messi picked up his record eighth Men’s Ballon d’Or with no competition from any of the other nominees.

Qatar was among the several countries to vote for the 36-year-old Argentine, who won the Ballon d’Or just months after captaining his country to a 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph in the Gulf State last year.

He has now won the award three times more than any other footballer on the planet.

Haaland sat 87 points ahead of Kylian Mbappe, who finished third with 270. Meanwhile, Spanish footballer Bonmati won the fifth edition of the Ballon d’Or Feminin by 179 points than runner-up Sam Kerr.

All eyes on Saudi Arabia as 2034 FIFA World Cup host after Australia drops out

The 25-year-old, who was featured in the Women’s World Cup final, led Spain to defeat England 1-0 in a stunning face-off.

Winning her first Women’s World Cup title less than a year after her team mutiny, Bonmati had a dramatic yet record-breaking year, winning the Liga F and Champions League.