As the winner and best player of the 2022 World Cup, the Argentinian Lionel Messi was the big favorite for the next Ballon d’Or. But the future rookie of Inter Miami now finds himself with two serious competitors who deserve the trophy at least as much.
Finally, Lionel Messi may not be so close to his eighth Ballon d’Or. Opinions were almost unanimous not so long ago. Who else to claim the accolade knowing the Argentine won the 2022 World Cup? The striker at the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, elected MVP of the tournament in Qatar, thus added the trophy that was so missing from his list. A historic moment that inevitably marked the minds of voting journalists. Only here, the Manchester City of Pep Guardiola has just hit very hard.
A new favorite for the Ballon d’Or
The Citizens ended the season with an incredible FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League treble. All with a scorer with 52 achievements in all competitions! We are of course talking about Erling Haaland whose statistics are enough to make him a serious candidate for the Ballon d’Or. And as if that weren’t enough for Lionel Messi, another Mancunian comes to complicate his task. Like the Cyborg, Rodri can also rely on the Manchester City hat-trick, but also on the Nations League he has just won with La Roja.
Rodri’s 2023 😵 #UCL pic.twitter.com/DHMz6HSLaL
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 19, 2023
The midfielder was even voted best player of the Final Four, he who had already won the same prize in the Champions League, after his decisive goal scored in the final against Inter Milan (1-0). ” People talked a lot about Haaland, but Rodri had a stellar yearunderlined his manager Pep Guardiola after the meeting. I don’t know if there’s a better midfielder than him in the world right now. “Recall that after the announcement of the nominees on September 6, the Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held on October 30.
