The Ballon d’Or is set to be hotly contested this year, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi the frontrunners for the award.
Messi has won seven Ballon d’Or’s throughout his career and could pick up his eighth after a year which has seen him win the World Cup in style, as well as winning the league with Paris Saint-Germain and the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami.
Haaland won the treble with Man City in a stunning campaign, and the two will go head to head for the award, but it seems that Messi has a surprise admirer.
Norway manager Stale Solbakken was expected to name his star striker Haaland as the favourite for the award, but he has now told Norweigan outfit VG that Messi’s World Cup triumph should see him win it again.
“If you ask me who I think will win, I will say Messi will win it thanks to his World Cup triumph. It still has an impact,” he stated.
Messi has carried his teams
Whilst Haaland would be a worthy winner given his success at Man City, Messi’s impact on his sides cannot be understated.
He scored in every round, including the final of the World Cup to lift it for the first time, and whilst his time at PSG was not plain sailing, he still delivered an incredible amount on the pitch to win Ligue 1.
Whilst his time at Inter Miami may be easy to disregard, his impact on the team cannot be ignored. Miami were winless in 11 before his arrival, and have been unbeaten since, with Messi contributing in every single game to help win the club’s first-ever trophy in the Leagues Cup.
If Messi does end up winning it, it would be a deserved Ballon d’Or, and even though it is likely to be his final one, it would only further cement his status as the Greatest Of All Time.