Four days before the Ballon d’Or ceremony, the announced coronation of Lionel Messi does not displease Thierry Henry.
D-4 before the Ballon d’Or gala. The elite of the football world will meet on Monday at the Théâtre du Châtelet to attend the presentation of the 2023 Ballon d’Or. And barring a huge surprise, the lucky winner should name themselves – once again – Lionel Messi. As expected since Argentina’s coronation at the World Cup, the former Parisian is tipped to win the eighth Ballon d’Or of his career.
As when he won in 2019 at the expense of Virgil van Dijk and even more so in 2021 at the expense of Robert Lewandowski, this new coronation of Lionel Messi should trigger a lively controversy. The fault lies with the Argentinian’s poor season with PSG and, conversely, the XXL season delivered by Erling Haaland, his 45 goals in 46 matches having a lot to do with the Citizens’ incredible hat-trick.
However, the announced victory of Lionel Messi appears most logical in the eyes of Thierry Henry. “A lot of people can argue about it, but for me, if I won the World Cup like him and what also happened in the final, although as a Frenchman I was a little upset by the way whose match ended, we can’t say he didn’t. Nor that he doesn’t deserve it if he earns it, he confided on the CBS Sports set. Many people can argue for example that Manchester City players deserve it and some other players can also say why I’m not the winner. But you can’t say he doesn’t deserve it if he wins it. For me, he deserves it. Messi! Bye, finished! »
