Ballon d'Or 2023 | Haaland finishes 2nd

[Axel Freed]

Messi hasn’t been the best for several years now …. I was happy for him and Argentina to win the World Cup but let’s be fair the standard of even the better teams in that were Europa League maybe on the fringes of qualifying for the CL

The Ballon d’or is a joke anyhow, “the best player in the world” isn’t a prize to be given out at a ridiculously ceremonial corporate junket - it’s something intangible, the excitement that football fans across the world feel when they watch a special player in action

 

[Bluemoonadam]

It’s so unfair if true but Messi is greatest player in history but last season Haaland had great season too. I don’t know if Haaland will have a blinder of season again. Like winning World Cup a treble won is same once in lifetime achievement. Too much PR swung it but will wait til it’s official. Still hope Haaland gets it.

Messi deserves it and it's inevitable he will get it if not already got it, I personally don't care either tbh. Life goes on.

 

[ancoats]

If true then it's very good news for Manchester City and Haaland, Nothing like the motivation to go and prove it all again that it was no one-season wonder,

 

[ali benarbia's studs]

I d say its bollocks, Messi can hold his copy of the cup.

They did get beat by Saudi Arabia.

 

[1961_vintage]

This is the most surprising news I have heard this year, next to finding that Christmas falls on 25th December in 2023.

Fucks sake could you not have put that behind the "spoiler" facility?

Xmas ruined.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

Fuck Messi. Undeserved if true.

 

[Kinkladze's crazy skills]

I'm not sure what the fascination with this shite is when I was growing up nobody gave a shit about it, the FIFA world player of the year was more recognised as the main award until they both merged. They even revised non European winners of the past on who should've won...


There was no south American winners the first non European was George Weah in the mid 90s, they only did this because they knew the award had massively waned in popularity.

Because Balloon d'Or was a European (nationality) player of the year award it never really picked the very best, if truth be told they probably should've actually revised more winners of the past, also look at the winners during the European dominance by English clubs, there was just one top three player despise 7 wins in 8 years.

That was Dalglish who finished runners up in 1983... yes Keegan was runner up in 1977 but this was after his transfer to Hamburg, he then won the following two years but I honestly doubt he'd had finished in the top three even once had he chose to stay in England, they clearly went out their way to ignore English teams and their players during an era of unmatched dominance since by a single nation.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

If true, everyone, including Messi, will know it's a token gesture.

It's the equivalent of the BBC giving Giggsywiggsy the Sports Personality of the Year award simply because he'd never won it before and this was his last chance to be given, er, I mean win it

 

[Phil1]

Imo Haaland is nowhere near good enough a footballer to ever win it.

Purely footballing wise Messi makes him look a 6 year old with mobility issues.

Stick to the weed. Fucking shambles of a statement.

 

[erl]

Anyone surprised? Ballon d'or was always made for Messi. They robbed so many players - Lewandowski, Ribery, Henry, Neymar just to give it to their golden boy.

First time in history a player playing in the sodding MLS - MLS! - wins the ballon d'or. I mean, what did he even do outside of a one-month tournament to warrant the prize?