Despite just winning a historic treble with Man City, striker Erling Haaland is still behind Lionel Messi in the group of stars capable of winning the 2023 Ballon d'Or.
According to British bookmaker Paddy Power , Messi is the leading candidate to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or with odds of 8/15 (bet 15 to win 8). Following are the Man City duo, Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, with odds of 11/8 and 11/1. Meanwhile, British newspaper Sportmail believes that the 2023 Ballon d'Or title is a race between Messi and Haaland.
His top form in helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup is giving Messi an advantage in the race for France Football's 2023 Ballon d'Or. Photo: Paddy Power
At club level, Messi did not perform very well with 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 matches in all competitions with PSG, before deciding not to renew his contract to move to the US to play for Inter Miami. But he excelled at the national team level, scoring 7 goals, including a double in the final match against France, helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup. The 35-year-old striker was also awarded the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball - the award for the best player of the tournament in Qatar 2022, and won the best player award five times.
In contrast, Haaland did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup with Norway, but exploded in his first season with Man City. He scored 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions, helping Man City win a historic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
On an individual level, Haaland won three individual awards, including the 2022-23 Premier League Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year, as awarded by the tournament organizers, and the Premier League Player of the Season by the Football Writers' Association (FWA). He also led the Champions League top scorer list with 12 goals and won the European Golden Shoe, an award given to the player who scores the most goals in a national championship.
Behind Messi, Haaland, De Bruyne is the current Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema with odds of 80/1, according to Paddy Power . The French striker scored 31 and assisted six goals in 43 matches, winning the King's Cup with Real, before deciding to move to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Ittihad on a three-year contract.
Similarly, the odds of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe winning the 2023 Ballon d'Or are both 80/1. Kane scored 32 goals in Tottenham's other trophyless season, while Mbappe scored 41 goals for PSG and finished as the 2022 World Cup's top scorer, including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina.
From 2022, France Football magazine will change the criteria, when the Ballon d'Or award will be based on the achievements in the most recent season, not the calendar year. The award ceremony will take place on October 30 in Paris, France.
Hong Duy
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