Erling Haaland has been given told that he can yet win a Ballon d’Or against Lionel Messi with only one thing left to do for the striker.
Erling Haaland has already been linked to Lionel Messi as a result of his exploits in England. The Argentine has been tipped to win a record 8th Ballon d’Or after winning the World Cup back in December. He has already won FIFA’s The Best award and recently the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award as well.
Currently, the only real competition to Lionel Messi getting his 8th Ballon d’Or is Haaland. Though many think Messi will win for sure, Dutch footballing legend Ruud Gullit thinks otherwise.
What did Ruud Gullit say?
According to the Mirror, Gullit said how Haaland could leapfrog Messi to win the prestigious award. He said the only remaining thing for Haaland is to win the Champions League with Manchester City.
“It’s very interesting – if Haaland wins the Champions League this year with Manchester City – then he could win the Ballon d’Or. He will be a very strong contender for it, for sure.”
Former Dutch footballer, Ruud Gullit has said Erling Haaland could win the Ballon d’Or, if Manchester City win the Champions League. Haaland would be facing competition from players from Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe for the award. But Gullit believes that if Pep Guardiola
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He also further added that Haaland is extraordinary and a ‘freak of nature’, likening him to Lionel Messi.
“As a footballer, he’s out of the ordinary. You can’t compare him to anyone. There’s always one freak of nature that comes out. We had that with Lionel Messi. He was out of the ordinary, too. But Haaland…how he scores is fantastic. He’s exceptional in front of goal, one of a kind.”
Can Erling Haaland win the Ballon d’Or over Messi?
The first leg of the Champions League semifinal between Manchester City and Real Madrid will take place tonight at the Santiago Bernabeu. A potential treble for Manchester City is in the cards thanks to their amazing performances over the second half of the season.
If City can manage to win the Champions League and even the FA Cup final against Manchester United, then Haaland could genuinely win the Ballon d’Or.
The Norwegian striker already has 51 goals in all competitions for the season. He has also scored 35 league goals, creating history as it made him the player with the most Premier League goals in a single season. He broke the previous record of 34 goals set by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole. All of this was achieved in his debut season as well.
While Messi may have had a great World Cup, at club level he was poor. With Paris Saint Germain, he has had 19 goals and 15 assists. They were knocked out of the Champions League and the French Cup. He may only win just the Ligue 1 trophy this season.
If Haaland does win the Champions League, then he could genuinely be a contender for the award beside Messi.
Who do you think deserves the Ballon d’Or more? Lionel Messi or Erling Haaland? Let us know in the comments down below!
