“One [Ballon d’Or] For Messi and One For the Others” – Pep Guardiola Dishes Bizarre Verdict Snubbing Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland spearheaded Manchester City’s treble campaign. And yet, Lionel Messi leads the race for the Ballon d’Or. Amidst a barrage of opinions on who should win the coveted award, City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed his take, with a sense of distaste for those bashing Haaland.

Messi, who won the World Cup with Argentina, is touted to win a historic 8th Ballon d’Or. Erling Haaland, on the other hand, scored 52 goals for City in his debut season, becoming the top scorer in both England and Europe.

Pep Guardiola gives his verdict on the Ballon d’Or race between Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland

The Ballon d’Or winner is set to be announced on the 30th of October 2023. This time it is a very close race between Manchester City star Erling Haaland and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi. The media is predicting that Messi is leading the race for the prestigious award. And so, Erling Haaland’s name is sidelined at the moment. Now, Pep Guardiola has made a verdict in the argument for the Ballon d’Or race.

The Manchester City manager in the press conference before the game against Brighton 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 or yes. We won the treble, and he scored a million goals. I’d love Erling to win. But Messi… Leo won the World Cup!”. It looks like despite defending Haaland, Guardiola already knows Lionel Messi will win the Ballon d’Or.

Erling Haaland had a strong team behind him, the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri and Jack Grealish, in almost every match. But, Lionel Messi in the World Cup had to single-handedly help his team get out of tricky situations. So, has the statement from Pep Guardiola on both Haaland and Messi complicated the race for his own player?

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Pep Guardiola could not hide his love for Lionel Messi despite praising Haaland

The statement by Pep Guardiola clearly shows that he still has a lot of admiration for the player he managed at FC Barcelona. Guardiola has praised Messi every time he is quipped about the Argentinian. Many Manchester City fans also have the opinion that he and Erling Haaland are making the same partnership.

Erling Haaland, however, has failed to score in the last few games. Despite this, Pep Guardiola has shielded him and praised his overall play in helping the team score goals. The Norwegian will surely appreciate Pep Guardiola for shielding him from the trolling for not scoring goals in recent matches. But, he would have likely preferred if Guardiola had only praised him in the race.

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Who do you think deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this year Lionel Messi or Erling Haaland?