Ballon D’or 2023: Haaland or Messi? And no CR7 for the first time since 2003

Local TV Sport

As the nominations have been flooding in for the 2023 Ballon D’or award, who’s looking the likely winner and who do writers from across the country believe could be a winner of the biggest solo prize in football, in the future.

Transcript

00:00 We are well and truly out of arguably the most historic rivalry era in football history.

00:07 From 2008 to 2021 Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominated the Ballon d'Or,

00:13 with only Luka Modric breaking their stronghold in 2018.

00:17 Last autumn saw Karim Benzema lift Francis for the first time since Zinedine Zidane,

00:22 and once more the podium spots could be anyone's.

00:25 But though Cristiano Ronaldo isn't looking likely to be anywhere near the running Lionel Messi is

00:31 following his World Cup triumph, this was a very different two-horse race.

00:36 I think they still know he's one of the greatest of all time

00:39 and they will argue if they're strong Ronaldo fans that he is the greatest.

00:42 So I don't think it will faze them too much in the long term.

00:45 Right now though they'll be thinking 'Oh my word, like really?'

00:48 In the day the Ballon d'Or is for, it's got to be recognised for the league.

00:51 You could be scoring dozens of goals in the National League, you're not going to get nominated are you?

00:56 Not that I'm comparing those two divisions, but it almost feels a bit like that.

01:00 I think it is slightly shocking because you always expect his name to be on there.

01:04 For all of our lives he's been on there.

01:06 But I think it's worthy because the Saudi league just isn't good enough.

01:11 It's not up there with the best divisions in the world and he got to do that according to it.

01:15 Still the favourite for the Ballon d'Or has seven of the award already in his cabinet at home.

01:21 Lionel Messi could well extend the record of the most wins to eight,

01:25 having inspired Argentina to a World Cup title in Qatar.

01:29 OK, so Paris Saint-Germain did nothing in Europe once more.

01:33 Lionel Messi won the golden ball at the World Cup though,

01:36 becoming the first player to ever win it twice.

01:39 So how much of an impact does the World Cup have on deciding the winner?

01:43 Yeah, it's going to be, it looks like it's a two-horse race doesn't it?

01:47 Obviously Messi finally winning the World Cup after so many attempts.

01:50 And Haaland that unbelievable season in a history-making campaign for Manchester City.

01:56 How much gravitas does the World Cup hold?

01:59 Because apart from the World Cup, Messi had probably an average season didn't he for PSG?

02:06 For me Erling Haaland has got to be the standout winner.

02:09 In terms of what Manchester City achieved last season as a team,

02:12 obviously winning three trophies and the Champions League as well.

02:17 But of course he scored so many goals, broke so many records in the process of City achieving that.

02:24 So yeah, for me he's the obvious candidate.

02:26 I know a lot of people will say Lionel Messi and he was so instrumental in Argentina winning the World Cup.

02:31 And I was just discussing how important the World Cup is in the Ballon d'Or vote

02:36 and how often the winning World Cup side tend to have a player who picks up the Ballon d'Or.

02:42 But yeah, for me I think it should be Haaland.

02:46 As the ceremony gets closer, you do feel that Lionel Messi is getting more of a grasp on his eighth crowning of the award.

02:54 The team of the year is also announced on the same night

02:57 and there's no doubt that these two titans will be next to each other on the biggest stage.

03:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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