“With the Pressure He Had…” Micah Richards Explains Why Lionel Messi Deserves to Win Ballon d’Or 2023 Over Erling Haaland

The time is here to decide the planet’s best soccer player. Leading to this year’s Ballon d’Or, there was much discussion about who deserves it more. Cristiano Ronaldo is out of contention after two decades, leaving it for Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland to compete. However, one former English player explains why Messi is the preferred candidate over his chief rival Haaland.

Players are moving from Europe to pursue the sport elsewhere in the last few months. But all eyes will be on the award ceremony with a player from a North American club as a favorite. Despite numerous arguments, a pundit explains an obvious reason for many people’s choices of selecting the winner.

Why Lionel Messi deserves Ballon d’Or explained by Premier League winner

Ballon d’Or is ready to take place on the 30th of this month in Paris. The weekend will culminate after the El Clasico and the Manchester derby by deciding the best player in the world. With Messi on the verge of winning it for the 8th time, former player Micah Richards explains that the Argentinian is the most deserved player. Micah justified his choice by saying that Messi came out victoriuos in meeting the fans’ expectations.

Richards said, “Any other year he (Haaland) probably gets it, but I have to agree with you (Henry choosing Messi too), Messi with the pressure he had to go into that tournament and deliver. Not only score goals but all-round game.”

The former Premier League winner for Manchester City in 2012 claimed that Messi had a lot of pressure. He also confessed that it was not only scoring goals, but the talisman’s overall influence also affected the team to win the tournament. Erling Haaland, on the other hand, had a monumental year. The Norwegian giant scored a whooping 54 goals and won the treble and European POTY with Manchester City. However, the expert favored the World Cup over everything.

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Apart from 7 goals and three assists and winning the Golden Boot, Messi contributed at crunch times, like the goal in the extra time of the final. Apart from the World Cup, Messi scored 21 goals and provided 16 assists for PSG last season, helping them win the league.

Is Messi moving away from Europe a sign of ending his career?

After winning the World Cup, Messi finished his contract with PSG and moved to the USA.

After he joined Inter Miami, there were quite a few questions raised about his decision to leave Europe. The Argentine star, however, kept up his reputation by helping his team, Inter Miami, win their first-ever trophy.

With Ronaldo and Messi’s rivalry called off by the Portuguese skipper, it marks the end of a golden era for soccer. The sport passes the baton onto the next generation with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. The two have already kicked off their careers on high, but will reach the legacy of the earlier stars will be the question.

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