Haaland vs Mbappe: FIFA 23 simulates every Ballon d'Or winner until 2036

FIFA 23 has hit shelves around the world and the latest edition of the Ballon d’Or is just a few days away – it’s an exciting time to be a football fan.

Both the release of EA Sports’ flagship game and the hosting of France Football’s most prestigious prize are key moments every year when it comes to wider perceptions regarding the best players in the world.

Just as supporters eagerly anticipate who will be awarded the highest rating on every FIFA game, fans are always keen to see who will get their hands on the coveted Ballon d’Or trophy.

Now, as far as 2022 is concerned, we already have a pretty good idea about how things are stacking up with the quintet of Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne and Robert Lewandowski all given the highest rating of 91 for men’s players on FIFA 23.

Plus, it seems a pretty open-and-shut case that Benzema will be taking home the Ballon d’Or on October 17, becoming just the second player other than Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the prize since 2007.

So, that’s all pretty widely agreed, but what about 2023, 2024 and so on? Well, hold that thought, because perhaps FIFA 23 can help us when it comes to looking even further into the future.

As you no doubt already know, the ‘Career Mode’ function allows gamers to maraud into the future of football and the game has its own version of the Ballon d’Or that reveals the best male player of each year as you work through your save.

Therefore, it’s always fascinating to take a look at what the FIFA algorithm throws up as each year’s Ballon d’Or winner when somebody simulates a ‘Career Mode’ deep into the future.

And courtesy of YouTuber ‘Maestro’, we’ve been able to do exactly that as he worked his ‘Career Mode’ all the way