Last month, Lionel Messi won a record eighth Ballon d’Or, edging out Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé to secure one of football’s biggest individual awards.
However, many believe that Messi did not deserve this award. The former FC Barcelona star had a mixed season with Paris Saint-Germain, but it was his World Cup exploits that ultimately put him ahead of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé, something many do not approve of.
One of those who think Messi deserved to win this year’s Ballon d’Or is Mbappé himself. Ahead of France’s match against Gibraltar this Saturday evening, the Frenchman admitted that he knew, after the World Cup final, that his ex-PSG teammate would win the prestigious award.
“Messi deserves it. On the evening of December 18, I knew he had won the Ballon d’Or. I had a good season, like Haaland, but when you win the World Cup it makes the difference.”
Indeed, the World Cup has often played an important role in the awarding of the Grail. That was the case when Luka Modric won his one and only Ballon d’Or in 2018, and it was the case this year as well.
