Angel Di Maria has mocked Lothar Matthaus after the German legend said Erling Haaland should have beaten Lionel Messi for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
Messi won the prestigious trophy for the eighth time on Monday evening, edging out City striker Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé in second and third respectively. But former Germany midfielder Lothar Matthaus said it was a “farce”, pointing to the fact Haaland won the treble with City and scored 52 goals in all competitions last season. The 36-year-old, meanwhile, has scored 21 goals for PSG but played a vital role in Argentina’s World Cup victory last year. While the deserved winner is up for debate, fellow Argentine and Benfica winger Di Maria had backlash over an Instagram post which displayed a clip of the German’s anti-Messi comments.
Matthaus, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1990, told Sky Germany: “Haaland has done better than Messi all year. Messi’s victory is not deserved. But it shows that the World Cup matters more than anything. For me, Haaland is the best player of the last 12 months. He won major titles with Manchester City and broke goalscoring records. For me, there is no other choice than Haaland. The choice is a farce, even if I am a Messi fan.“
Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami in MLS, is in the autumn of his career but remains undoubtedly one of the best players in the world.
