"In my opinion, Haaland deserves to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or"
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, is of the opinion that striker Erling Haaland should be the recipient of the 2023 Ballon d'Or. Haaland's impressive record of 52 goals in 53 appearances was instrumental in City's historic Treble win during the 2022-23 season.
Haaland, the Norwegian international, is one of the 30 candidates in contention for the Ballon d'Or, set to be awarded on October 30. Guardiola stated, "Haaland should win – Yes. We won the treble, and he scored 50 million goals."
Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami forward, is considered a significant contender for the top individual honor in world football, posing a challenge to Haaland. Messi, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, played a pivotal role in Argentina's success at the 2022 World Cup while representing Paris St-Germain.
Guardiola, who previously coached Messi at Barcelona, believes the 36-year-old Argentine deserves a category of his own. He remarked, "The Ballon d'Or has to be two sections. One for Messi, and after look for the others."
He further emphasized, "The worst season of Messi is the best for the rest."
Despite Haaland's impressive record, he hasn't scored since September 23 when City defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0. He will have the opportunity to add to his goal tally when Brighton visits the Etihad at 15:00 BST today. Manchester City, following two consecutive losses in the Premier League to Wolves and Arsenal, currently stands two points behind league leaders Tottenham in third place.
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