Pep Guardiola has aired his thoughts on who he thinks should be the recipient of the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.
Guardiola believes that his striker Erling Haaland is deserving of the award, but joked that fellow competitor Lionel Messi should have one section created for him.
Pep Guardiola expressed his unflinching remarks on who the award should go to, stressing that both players deserve to win the prestigious individual honor.
The award ceremony will be held in Paris on October 30, 2023, with Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi being frontrunners for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.
Guardiola was confronted with a daunting question in a presser on who he thinks should win the award, and you can albeit say, he scaled it remarkably.
He was split between choosing his goal-poacher Haaland, who helped Manchester City win the UEFA Champions League last season – the first in the club’s history and Lionel Messi – the greatest player he has ever managed.
Erling Haaland scored 52 goals and provided 9 assists in 53 appearances for Manchester City last season.
Pep Guardiola on the 2023 Ballon d’Or award
Speaking with the press on who deserves to win the award between the Norwegian and Messi, he said:
“I always said that the Ballon d’Or had to be two sections: one for Messi and one for the others. Haaland should win, yes, after scoring 50 million goals.
“But of course Messi, if you tell me the worst season of Messi it is the best for the rest of them. Both deserve it.”
Pep Guardiola added that “egotistically” he wants Haaland to win the award, but if Lionel Messi does win it, he won’t say “it’s unfair”.
The Spaniard said: “Egotistically I would say I want Erling because he helped us to achieve what we achieved. I would love it but I won’t tell you it’s unfair if Leo wins.”
Erling Haaland also won the Premier League and FA Cup with Manchester City, smashing age-long records in the process.
Last campaign, he broke the record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League season, previously held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.
Haaland scored 36 goals and provided 8 assists in 35 league appearances in the 2022/23 season.
Lionel Messi is on the verge of creating history
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi is on the verge of achieving history, by becoming the first player playing outside Europe to win the Ballon d’Or.
He led Argentina to glory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, ending the tournament as the second top-scorer with 7 goals.
The 36-year-old also won the Ligue 1 title and Trophée des Champions with former club Paris Saint Germain last season.
Messi scored 21 goals and provided 20 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions for PSG last season.
The Ballon d’Or award continues to arouse a lot of controversy and debate, with many individuals wondering the metric used in handing players the gong, and if the organizers are consistent with their judgment.
