The reason Messi 'beat' Haaland to win the 8th Ballon d'Or
Even when the information that Messi surpassed Haaland to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or had not been leaked, many people had already chosen this result.
Award GalaBallon d'Or 2023will take place in Paris on October 30. A few days ago, hot news was released, Messi was announced as the winner of the title and it will be the 8th Ballon d'Or in his career.
At 36,Messistill looks great. He just scored a double for Argentina in a 2-0 win over Peru that ended a few minutes ago, maintaining a winning streak in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after 4 matches.
Messi also created an unbelievable fever in America when he agreed to joinInter MiamiDavid Beckham after leaving PSG in the summer. Simply, Messi is still different, someone who can make a difference and speak up when necessary.
Caught Offside pointed out exactly the reason why Messi 'beat' Haaland: the importance of the number 10 in the team, shining in big matches, while the Man City striker, although scoring an impressive number of goals, 'disappeared' in important, decisive matches.
“Haaland's Premier League goalscoring record in his first season at Man City is exceptional. He deserves credit, but isn't that what the Norwegian was signed to do?
In the biggest match of the season – the Champions League final against Inter Milan, Haaland was nowhere to be seen, making no impact. Before that, in the matches against Real Madrid, he was also lackluster…
Winning the treble with Man City clearly makes Haaland a candidate for the 2023 Ballon d'Or, as does Mbappé's hat-trick and scoring record at the World Cup. But Messi is still 'above' both.
The fact that he inspired and led Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022 is enough. But we could still 'list' Messi's goals and assists for PSG and Inter Miami and the impact he has made...
Messi always appears in important moments, when the team needs him the most. He deserves to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or”.
