Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said today that his team’s footballer Erling Haaland deserves to win the Golden Ball this year, for the best player in 2023.
Haaland has scored 52 goals in 53 games this year to help City win the treble and is one of 30 candidates to win the Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded on October 30.
“Haaland should win it – yes. We won the triple crown and he scored 50 million goals,” said Guardiola, BBC reported.
Inter Miami soccer player Lionel Messi is considered the biggest favorite to win the Ballon d’Or.
The Argentine is a record holder with seven prestigious awards and was one of the most deserving in winning the World Cup last December with the national team, while he was a player of Paris Saint-Germain.
Guardiola once coached Messi at Barcelona and believes the 36-year-old footballer deserves his category.
“The Golden Ball must be in two parts. One for the Messiah and the other for the others. The worst season for Messi is the best for the others,” said Guardiola.
Haaland has scored eight goals in 12 games this season, and the last time he scored was on September 23 in a victory against Nottingham Forest (2:0).
City have lost their last two Premier League games, against Wolverhampton and Arsenal, and are third in the table, two points behind leaders Tottenham and Arsenal.
(Source: Beta)
(Source: Beta)
