Manchester City star Erling Haaland has finally spoken out on Messi Being the Favourite to win the Ballon d’Or
Erling Haaland, who plays for Manchester City, is confident that he can win the Ballon d’Or in place of Lionel Messi.
Even though Lionel Messi is the prohibitive favorite to win the Ballon d’Or, Erling Haaland is confident that he can take home the trophy.
In his first season with Manchester City, Haaland led the club in scoring with 52 goals and helped the Blues win the Champions League, the Premier League, and the FA Cup. At the beginning of this season, they added the Super Cup to their trophy case. There have been very few players who have had more successful individual seasons than Haaland, who established many scoring records in the Premier League.
Normally, a year like Haaland’s would make him a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or. However, in 2023, the fact that Lionel Messi won the World Cup with Argentina makes it unlikely that Haaland will win the award, despite the fact that he had a year like Haaland’s.
Messi scored twice in the championship game and once in the penalty shootout as Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar in December. He also scored the game-winning goal in the shootout. The City player believes he has a solid chance of upsetting the odds when the winner is announced at the end of October since his form for PSG was strong, but it was not as good as Haaland’s. Haaland has been in better form than he has been.
After having an excellent year in Manchester, Haaland was chatting with France Football, the organization that is in charge of organizing the Ballon d’Or, about his opportunities and potential to continue growing as a player.
When he was questioned whether or not he believed he was the best striker in the world, he responded diplomatically by saying, “In my perspective… It all depends on how we define “striker.” The question is a red herring. I am definitely in the race for this. Do you really believe that I am the best? Could be.’
“I am fully aware that I still have a great deal to learn. I’m not even close to becoming an adult yet. To answer your question, yes, I do think I have a shot at winning the Ballon d’Or [this year].”
Another player who could compete with Haaland and Messi for the prestigious prize is Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe led France to the World Cup final by bringing his team back from a 3-1 deficit to necessitate penalties, and he is one of the players who could fight Haaland and Messi for the award. However, Haaland was unimpressed by a potential battle between himself and Mbappe, just like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been likened to each other for a long time.
“That’s what everyone thinks, but you have to emphasize how insane Messi and Cristiano have been,” Haaland commented. “They’ve both been on another level.” You also need to keep in mind that they are continuing to do it despite the fact that they are becoming older. They continue to be excellent players.
“But I never talk about pitting myself against other players; that’s not how I see things,” she said. “That’s not how I see things.” I simply focus on getting better each and every day, maintaining my enthusiasm for my work, and being the best possible version of myself.
Haaland has remarked that instinct plays a large role in his goal scoring, particularly when it comes to his ability to create space in the box in order to get on the end of crosses.
“This is part instinct and obviously a lot of hard work,” he explained. The idea that the ball will show up in a particular spot is known as instinct. It is a form of sixth sense that is buried deep within the brain.
“Other than that, you need to put in a lot of effort, work on improving your individual abilities, and become more in tune with your teammates.” It’s a combination of knowing how the game works and having that gut feeling that says, ‘It’s now.'”
