Speaking recently about his feelings on who should win the Ballon d'Or this year, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola refused to say outright that Erling Haaland deserves the award over Lionel Messi. Should the Norwegian feel aggrieved by this?
Check Out: Messi Or Haaland? Pep Gives His Ballon d'Or Pick
In comments made last week, the Spanish tactician seemed to acknowledge that Messi winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup will complicate Haaland's ambitions of being crowned the best player in the world later this month. On 30 October, the winner of the prestigious accolade will be named, and many believe the 2023 edition will be a straight shootout between the City talisman and Inter Miami captain. Let's get into what Guardiola said…
Guardiola: "Always I said the Ballon d'Or should be in two sections; one for Messi, then after another one so Haaland should win, yes."
Kurt: Slightly tongue in cheek as he knows this isn't actually possible, the former Barcelona coach appears to be suggesting Haaland would only scoop the prize for 2023 if Messi had his own special category created for him by France Football. While Guardiola has a lot to be thankful to Haaland for since the left-footed striker joined the Citizens from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, he has often said his achievements in Spain wouldn't have been possible without Messi. The coach worked closely with the Argentine for four years during their time together at the Blaugrana, winning two UEFA Champions League titles and another 12 trophies, and to this day he praises Messi as the best player he has ever worked with. Perhaps Haaland has some way to go until he is held in the same regard by Guardiola, but I do think his manager should be giving him a stronger public backing.
Guardiola: "We won the treble, he scored a million goals. The worst season for Messi is the best for the rest of the players. Both deserve it. Realistically, I want Haaland to have it because he helped us achieve what we achieved; I would love it. But Messi won the World Cup."
Kurt: I think Haaland should be winning the Ballon d'Or next week, but like Guardiola points out, Messi did help inspire Argentina to World Cup success in Qatar in December last year. In 2018, we saw Luka Modric claim the Ballon d'Or following his exploits for Croatia at the global showpiece in Russia, but his chances were also boosted by Real Madrid's Champions League victory that year. Perhaps it is difficult to say for sure whether or not the midfielder would have got his hands on the individual trophy without the European triumph, but it does feel like the rulebook is sometimes thrown out during a World Cup year. If we were comparing Messi and Haaland based on what they did and achieved at club level only, there'd simply be no debate.
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