Ballon d’Or 2023: Thierry Henry names favourite to win award

Former France international Thierry Henry has named his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi as the favourite to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or.

Messi, 36, has been tipped by many to win the prestigious award for a record 8th time following his heroics with Argentina in Qatar last December.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star led La Albiceleste to win their third World Cup after beating France in a historic final.

The Inter Miami skipper faces stiff competition from Manchester City star Erling Haaland who won a historic treble with the Cityzens in his debut season with Pep Guardiola's side.

Sharing his thoughts on who he thinks is likely to clinch this year's Ballon d'Or trophy, Henry said:

“I mean a lot of people can debate that but for me if you win the World Cup, the way he did it, we can talk about what happened in the final.

“As a Frenchman, I was a little bit disappointed with how it finished but you can’t say that it isn’t deserved if he wins it.

“A lot of people can claim that Man City players, Haaland and some other players can also say ‘why not me?’ but you can’t say that it’s not right if he wins it.”

The award ceremony will hold in Paris on Monday, October 30.

WDN