Messi celebrates eighth Ballon d’Or! Haaland unlucky?
Messi reaps the rewards after achieving football immortality
Like in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021, Lionel Messi was once again the man of the moment as France Football, the organisers of the sport’s most prestigious award, handed him his eighth Ballon d’Or in front of a full house at the Theatre du Chatelet earlier this week. Not all in attendance, though, would have thought the 36-yearold deserved the award more than Erling Haaland, but they were still in awe as they saw the Inter Miami captain pose with his eight Golden Balls on stage. The 2022/23 campaign will go down as arguably the most memorable in Messi’s astonishing career, but perhaps only for what he achieved in Qatar. The forward still belonged to Paris Saint-Germain when he flew to the Middle East with his international colleagues and coaches to compete at the World Cup, a tournament the Albiceleste began on an incredible 36-match winning streak. Messi and his compatriots were, however, stunned by Saudi Arabia in their opening match, in which their alltime record goalscorer scored from the penalty spot, losing 2-1. A wave of criticism from around the world came crashing down on the Argentina camp, but Messi maintained that the group, which consisted of a lot of the same players who helped them become Copa America champions in 2021, would not let their supporters down. Against Mexico in their second game of the group stage, it was Messi’s magical goal from range that inspired Argentina to victory, before they beat Poland comfortably to progress to the knockout stage.
He was at it again as the South American giants progressed past Australia in the round of 16, and again as the Albiceleste advanced past Netherlands on penalties in what will go down as one of the competition’s great quarter-final matches. Channelling his uglier side, a version of himself many compared to the late and great Diego Maradona, Messi, even if it was just for 120 minutes, at times crossed the competitive line while also pulling all the strings with the ball at his feet. He then continued his brilliance as Argentina defeated 2018 losing finalists Croatia 3-0 at the semifinal stage, before he scored twice in their penalty shootout win over France following a 3-3 draw after 120 minutes in the final at the Lusail Stadium, a game still being hailed by some today as the sport’s greatest-ever final. For his efforts, Messi won the tournament’s Golden Ball accolade, becoming the first player in history to claim the World Cup’s best player prize on two occasions. Later on in the 2022/23 season, he would go on to win Ligue 1 and the Trophee des Champions with PSG. His latest Ballon d’Or triumph makes Messi the first player in history to win the award while playing for a club outside of Europe, something that will best please David Beckham, who was on stage to call out his name, and his colleagues at Inter Miami, and the first to receive the accolade with three different clubs.
At a star-studded ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday night, Lionel Messi put more distance between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo as he was awarded the Ballon d’Or for a recordextending eighth time. The former Barcelona captain, now playing for Inter Miami in the United States, galvanised the Argentina national team in true Diego Maradonalike fashion, even making enemies along the way, before lifting football’s greatest trophy – the FIFA World Cup – in Qatar in 20 22. Erling Haaland, meanwhile, finished second to the 36-year-old, but Manchester City’s talisman might feel his exploits in the 20 22/23 season, most notably the 52 goals he scored on the way to his team’s unforgettable treble, should have been enough to see him finish top of the ranking, writes Soccer Laduma specialist journalist Kurt Buckerfield.
Milan in the final in Turkey. It was, though, his performances in the Premier League over the course of last season that were even more significant as Haaland broke the league’s single-season goalscoring record after finding the back of the net on 36 occasions in just 35 appearances. His form in England’s top division, widely regarded as the toughest league in the world, included four hat-tricks, with one of them coming against rivals Manchester United, and five braces. Haaland will undoubtedly have more opportunities to win the Ballon d’Or as his form this season, in which he has so far scored 13 goals, suggests the Scandinavian will continue breaking records. If it wasn’t a World Cup year, it would likely have been his fingers tightly wrapped around the trophy in France and there remains a case that it still should have been, without taking anything away from what Messi achieved in Qatar.
During his acceptance speech, one of the hosts of the ceremony, ex-footballer Didier Drogba, asked the Argentine to touch on his thoughts about Haaland and former teammate Kylian Mbappe, who finished in second and third place, respectively, on the podium, to which Messi responded by stating both superstars would win the Ballon d’Or one day. It was, though, his words specifically about Haaland that perhaps prove just how close the MLS-based man believed the contest was. “Erling deserved it very much too, he has won Premier League, Champions League while being the top scorer of everything. This award could have been yours today too. I’m sure in the next years you will win it.”
Who’ll be competing for next year’s Ballon d’Or?
With it safe to assume that Messi and Ronaldo, who are both playing their football outside of Europe, will be out of the picture when it comes to the 2024 Ballon d’Or, room has opened up for a new era of superstars to be ushered in. Mbappe is still patiently waiting to have his moment, with his third-place finish being his best yet, but there cannot be any ignoring the impact that Jude Bellingham is having at Real Madrid. The 20-year-old Englishman has scored as many goals this season in Spain as Haaland has for City, and there is something to be said for the recognition footballers get when producing the goods for arguably the most famous club in the world. Bellingham claimed the Kopa Trophy, the award handed out to the sport’s best young player, on Monday night, but there is a feeling that it won’t be the final time we see the England international on stage in Paris at this particular event. Haaland, meanwhile, is expected to once again be among the favourites for the prize in a year’s time, especially if he is to enjoy another spectacular trophy-laden campaign under Pep Guardiola. Performances, however, at the 2024 UEFA European Championship and 2024 Copa America could go a long way in deciding who should follow on from Messi’s eighth triumph.