The race for the Ballon d'Or has ended with the final trophy of the season, so what might the top 20 list look like?
The race for the 2023 Ballon d'Or is largely over, with the world's best footballers vying for the past 11 months to succeed 2022 winner Karim Benzema, who will lift the Ballon d'Or in Paris on October 30.
This race for the Ballon d'Or is unique in that the World Cup was held in the 2022-23 season, meaning that by the time of voting in August, the World Cup may have become a distant memory. However, there is no doubt that the chances of competing for the Ballon d'Or for players who participated in the Qatar World Cup and played well have improved, although domestic and European tournament champions have been produced.
So, who puts himself among the most important personal accolades and waits for the nominations to be revealed on September 6? Let's take a look at who's coming to the top as our 12-month Golden Globe leaderboard journey draws to a close...
20 Casemiro (Manchester United)
2022-23 season: 9 goals, 8 assists. Won the League Cup and the European Super Cup.
Casemiro's goals against Bournemouth and Chelsea helped United confirm his return to the Champions League, marking the Brazil international's impressive debut season with a move from Real Madrid to Old Trafford.
Perhaps his most important goal came in the Carabao Cup final, as United won their first title since 2017. However, under Eric Tanhach, his presence in defence has had the greatest impact on United's transformation.
19 Cliff Grealish (Manchester City)
2022-23 season: 6 goals, 11 assists. Won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
While his attacking numbers may still be disappointing, given what City have paid him, there is no doubt that Grealish's performance in 2022-23 shows why he spent £100m signing in the summer of 2022.
He played a key role in their Triple Crown glory, although his end-of-season celebrations could become his most memorable contribution.
18 John Stones (Manchester City)
2022-23: 3 goals, 4 assists, 17 clean sheets. Won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
Stones went from reliable centre-back to versatile right-back to a wandering midfielder in a season, and his change in role could have been a defining factor in City's treble triumph.
The England international excelled in the Champions League final and is expected to achieve even more in his career in the coming years.
- Burkayo Saka (Arsenal)
In 2022-23: 22 goals, 14 assists.
Like Arsenal as a whole, Saka's form slipped at crucial moments, just as the Gunners' title challenge dissipated in a matter of weeks.
Still, the England winger, along with team-mate Martin Odegauld, is expected to be on the 30-man Ballon d'Or nominees to be announced later this year.
16. Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
In 2022-23: 29 goals, 12 assists. Win the World Cup, Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup.
Martinez had a poor performance in Istanbul, squandering a great opportunity to take Inter Milan ahead in the Champions League final before City turned the lead around and firmly retained the lead.
However, given his Serie A goal record this season, his two goals in winning the Coppa Italia and his (albeit limited) role in Argentina's World Cup victory, he could secure a Ballon d'Or nomination.
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
In 2022-23: 15 goals, 9 assists.
We can only speculate that Dortmund could have won the Bundesliga title if Bellingham had been fit on the final day of the season, but there is no doubt that the teenager's performance was the driving force behind BVB getting so close.
Voted Bundesliga Player of the Season, he can now start preparing to become a Real Madrid player in the coming months.
14. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
In 2022-23: 34 goals, 12 assists. Win the League Cup.
Marcus Rashford wants his form between December and February to be a harbinger of his future career, not just a hot period. If it proves to be the former, he is expected to be in contention for the Ballon d'Or for at least the next five years.
- Hwiča Kvaráchelia (Naples)
In 2022-23: 16 goals, 17 assists. Win Serie A.
'Kvaradorna' will not perform the same in 2023 as the year before, but Napoli fans do not care because of the role he played in their first Serie A title since 1990.
The Georgian winger is one of the brightest signings of the European football season and remains one of the toughest wingers to defend anywhere in the world.
12. Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad)
2022-23 season: 31 goals, 6 assists. Won the Copa del Rey, the World Club Cup and the European Super Cup.
Benzema has been unable to help Real Madrid reach the Champions League final again this season and cannot win La Liga, so he will not receive the Ballon d'Or.
Whether his European career is over is unclear as he has moved to Al Etihad. If so, it could mean that the French striker will never have another chance to compete for these awards.
11. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
2022-23 season: 10 goals, 8 assists. Won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
Bernardo is not a regular goalscorer, but he has been able to score goals in key matches, and his two goals against Real Madrid were undoubtedly one of those to help City qualify for the Champions League final.
If this is the Portuguese midfielder's last season at Manchester City, he clearly wants to end with a climax and he does.
10. Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
2022-23 season: 23 goals, 6 assists. Won the World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
In 2022-23, only six Premier League players have surpassed Alvarez in scoring goals in all competitions, and he has proven himself to be more than just a substitute for Manchester City.
Currently, he can be proud to be the most medalist in the world for 2022-23, so he will certainly be nominated for the Ballon d'Or.
9. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
2022-23 season: 36 goals, 11 assists. Won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup.
Lewandowski's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or may be gone, but he at least holds the stellar record of winning league titles as he helps Barca return to the top of Spanish football.
Despite a few ups and downs in his performance, his ability to reach his 35th birthday is a testament to his strength.
8. Victor Osimenne (Naples)
2022-23: 33 goals, 5 assists. Won the Serie A championship.
Osimenne will forever leave his mark on Napoli as his goal earned the team their first Serie A title in 33 years, and after this season, it is fitting that the Nigerian striker could not be the man to accomplish that feat.
Attention now turns to whether Napoli will be able to keep the highly sought-after European striker this summer.
7. Ilkai Gundogan (Manchester City)
2022-23 season: 13 goals, 7 assists. Won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
With Gundogan officially joining Camp Nou, Barcelona will have a top player and one who will excel when the team needs him most.
He scored twice each against Leeds and Everton to win the Premier League for City, while his stellar performances at Wembley brought United to victory in the FA Cup final.
6. Rodri (Manchester City)
In 2022-23: 4 goals, 7 assists. Won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, UEFA Nations League and FA Cup.
The best defensive midfielder in the world? Rodri may well have won the honour, with the Spanish international becoming a former-strong performer for Manchester City throughout the season.
No off-field player has played more than his 52 games in 2022-23, and he ended the season with a crucial winning goal in the Champions League final.
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
In 2022-23: 10 goals, 32 assists. Won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
32 assists! De Bruyne is truly the best playmaker of his generation, and he gradually regained his form throughout the season and was key to City's peak in the final months.
His luck with injuries in the Champions League final may not have been the best, but at least this time the Belgian were on the winning side and finally got the European Cup.
- Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
Last ranking: 4th
In 2022-23: 25 goals, 26 assists. Won the Copa del Rey, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Considering the difficulties that Vinicius had to deal with during the season from Spanish opposition fans, he still performed well. It has now been confirmed that he is part of that small group that can be called world-class.
While a Champions League defeat could mean he missed the Ballon d'Or podium this time, everything about the Brazilian by all means suggests that he is on track to win the award in the future.
- Killian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
In 2022-23: 55 goals, 14 assists. Won Ligue 1.
Mbappe himself believes he has already won himself the 2023 Ballon d'Or and it's easy to find his reasons for that. He scored more than 50 goals for club and country, won the league again and scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final to win the Golden Boot.
However, a poor performance in Qatar and a lack of deep progress in the UEFA Champions League could cost him this Ballon d'Or, although it seems inevitable to be the first Ballon d'Or.
- Erlin Haaland (Manchester City)
In 2022-23: 56 goals, 9 assists. Won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
Haaland has broken numerous records during the season, and sometime in late April, it seems inevitable that he will reach the top of the Ballon d'Or leaderboard at the end of the season.
However, his performance of scoring just one goal in City's last eight games could disappoint him in 2023, although his goal played a major role in Pep Guardiola's side's winning treble.
- Macy (Miami International)
Last ranking: 1st
In 2022-23: 42 goals, 26 assists. Won the World Cup, Ligue 1 and Super Cup.
Messi did his best to maintain his form during the second half of the season, but in the end his performance in the iconic World Cup triumph could well be enough to win the Ballon d'Or again.
Now that he is more likely to end with European football, does that mean it will be his eighth and final win?