Ballon d'Or 2023 | Messi wins for 8th time

Messi will probably get it.

I’m shocked so many are tipping Haaland. Tap in merchant who went off the boil at the business end of the season and ghosted his sides biggest games, vs Messi who just had one of the best individual World Cup’s ever (despite what others claim, he clearly did) and had a good season for his club on an individual level. I thought De Bruyne had a better season than Haaland and came up trumps in bigger moments.

its not probably.. its 100% messi will get it.
 
Haaland is spoonfed at City, yeah that’s the only reason he scored goals even though:

He’s scored more for City than any other striker they’ve ever had with the same service.
He scores a goal a game for Norway
He scored a goal a game for Dortmund
He scored a goal a game for Salzburg…
 
Haaland is spoonfed at City, yeah that’s the only reason he scored goals even though:

He’s scored more for City than any other striker they’ve ever had with the same service.
He scores a goal a game for Norway
He scored a goal a game for Dortmund
He scored a goal a game for Salzburg…

What other striker have they had that’s been supplied by their current line up? They didn’t even bother playing with a striker at times before. You had an ageing Agüero and Gabriel Jesus, is that not about it?

Even then Agüero was constantly injured and never had a run in the side the way Haaland did last season. He’s obviously a world class centre forward, but however you look at it, being a non factor in the biggest games of their season was always going to be held against him. He really went off the boil at the business end.
 
Enzo Fernandez got shafted because of his move to Chelsea. He was far more influential in the World Cup win than Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez and had a great 1st half of the season with Benfica.

A lot of lazy inclusions there like Dias, Benzema and Modric. Not sure what Muani, Muisala and Gvardiol are doing here either.
 
I agree that there are players on the list that probably shouldn’t be there. Was just pointing out that Rashford‘s season was nothing special. I am just glad that Ronaldo didn’t make it.
I don't disagree with that, but some of the inclusions over Rashford are laughable. No sane person would argue Muani or Alvarez were better than him over the last year.

They should just do away with the arbitrary 30 man shortlist and just nominate players who have an actual shot at the award. Then again the reason they have this many in the first place is probably just to generate controversy and discussion.

One thing that is really noticeable from the list is actually how few really top players there are compared to 10 or even 5 years ago. The level of the top kerpers and defenders in general is especially poor.
 
journalists? Are you aware that Messi is the no.1 when it comes to the most favorite player to win Ballon D'or by journalists? Then, why are you on this thread when journalists by far think Messi will win it if you rely on their opinion that much? I suggest you come here next time when journalists cannot agree on whom to pick unlike this time where Messi is the no.1 favorite by far.

In the links above, KDB is the best playmaker in Premier League (2nd in the world) and Rodri the best defensive midfielder in the world now & the best CL player. How do these refute what I am saying? Haaland is a striker spoonfed by some of the best players in the world, ghosting every single time in the semis and finals, cannot even create for himself, no dribbling-link-up skills. Even Gundogan was more influential than him in big games. Haaland is not a big game changer YET unlike Mbappe or Messi..

You do not win Ballon D'or with only tap-ins with zero playmaking, dribbling, passing skills, creativity and not showing up in a single big final or semi final at a team like City... especially when the other guy singlehandedly took his above-average team to the WC glory as the best player of the WC, the single most prestigious award in the world of football breaking all types of WC records... Especially when the other guy is chosen as the best playmaker in the world, leading Ligue 1 & Europe in assists, matching the real young star Mbappe in goals + assists, matching the new dribbling king Vinicius in terms of dribbles in top 5-leagues at 35..

This is not the best striker award..

KDB and Rodri are seen as the best players at City for most football fans, there's no question, they are irreplacable.. I would even say Kane did better than Haaland last season as a striker. Send Kane to this City and Haaland to Spurs and see what happens.. Kane scored 30 in a poor Spurs while offering way more than Haaland as a striker. Haaland is more like a poor man’s Gerd Muller at the moment with his inability to shine in big games at a dominant City..

Are you being deliberately dense?

Almost all awards have listed Haaland as the best player at Manchester City last season. So saying he absolutely wasn't is nonsensical. And best is not equivalent to who's game is the prettiest.

It is a World Cup season, so I have no delusions about where the Ballon D'Or is going. If it wasn't, then Haaland would be the favorite.
 
The only reason Julián Álvarez gets a shout here is because of the World Cup, in the domestic league he has been a substitute.

So going by that, Messi wins this years golden ball, there is no way they will taint the fairyale ending to his career by giving the trophy to a guy that only won a treble.
 
He didn't "fail to show up".

He didn't score goals but it's not like his performances were a drag on the team. For those who argue footballers are more than goals.. they can be hypocrites when it comes to Haaland.
You can't put this argument up for Haaland. A player not being a drag on the team is hardly a good argument for thinking he showed up. We're not talking Messi 2015 CL finals here are we? That's the reason why people argue footballers are more than just goals. That's the argument people make when discussing Zidane, Maradona, and Iniesta. People loved using that argument in relation to Messi vs Ronaldo because goals as a stat was clouding people's judgements on who has more influence.

In Haaland, we're talking about a player where he's pretty much nothing, but goals. He's not going to disrupt defenses via dribbling. He's not going to create chances for others. He's not going to help the team beat the press via his exceptional ball skills. He's not going to help the team spread the play via his passing.

He's there to finish. The most he can do when he's not scoring is not be a drag on the team, and create space for others should he make runs. But the last part can only go so far over multiple decisive matches.
 
Messi fully deserves it. He even put up basically identical numbers in G/A per game as Haaland last season for club as well as country. He just set the bar so high for himself that people aren't impressed by that anymore. He also had 2 G/A in more than half of his games at the World cup and scored at least 1 goal in each of the seven WC games except vs. Poland. Scored in the WC final twice against the reigning champions. Meanwhile Haaland didn't score in any of the semi finals or finals for City, was anonymous vs. Inter. He'll get plenty of accolades but this one will go to Messi.
 
You can't put this argument up for Haaland. A player not being a drag on the team is hardly a good argument for thinking he showed up. We're not talking Messi 2015 CL finals here are we? That's the reason why people argue footballers are more than just goals. That's the argument people make when discussing Zidane, Maradona, and Iniesta. People loved using that argument in relation to Messi vs Ronaldo because goals as a stat was clouding people's judgements on who has more influence.

In Haaland, we're talking about a player where he's pretty much nothing, but goals. He's not going to disrupt defenses via dribbling. He's not going to create chances for others. He's not going to help the team beat the press via his exceptional ball skills. He's not going to help the team spread the play via his passing.

He's there to finish. The most he can do when he's not scoring is not be a drag on the team, and create space for others should he make runs. But the last part can only go so far over multiple decisive matches.

Haaland had 8 assists in the Prem last year. More than Scholes ever managed, the same amount as Bruno had. He averages 1 key pass per game. Fanccystats says he presses more than any player in the premier league in the final third of the pitch. Beyond that you would think that City plays the way Pep tells them to
 
You can't put this argument up for Haaland. A player not being a drag on the team is hardly a good argument for thinking he showed up. We're not talking Messi 2015 CL finals here are we? That's the reason why people argue footballers are more than just goals. That's the argument people make when discussing Zidane, Maradona, and Iniesta. People loved using that argument in relation to Messi vs Ronaldo because goals as a stat was clouding people's judgements on who has more influence.

In Haaland, we're talking about a player where he's pretty much nothing, but goals. He's not going to disrupt defenses via dribbling. He's not going to create chances for others. He's not going to help the team beat the press via his exceptional ball skills. He's not going to help the team spread the play via his passing.

He's there to finish. The most he can do when he's not scoring is not be a drag on the team, and create space for others should he make runs. But the last part can only go so far over multiple decisive matches.

Why can't I?

Look, almost all players spend more time off the ball than on it. I don't think you (or I) have enough information to say Haaland has zero impact on the pitch other than his goals. That's nonsense. Especially playing for a manager like Pep.

I think players are worth more than goals and assists, only if their actions on the pitch (both on ball and off ball) contribute to team success. Aesthetics don't matter if they are ineffective.
 
What other striker have they had that’s been supplied by their current line up? They didn’t even bother playing with a striker at times before. You had an ageing Agüero and Gabriel Jesus, is that not about it?

Even then Agüero was constantly injured and never had a run in the side the way Haaland did last season. He’s obviously a world class centre forward, but however you look at it, being a non factor in the biggest games of their season was always going to be held against him. He really went off the boil at the business end.

Aguero who was one of the best strikers of his generation but couldn't score at the level Haaland does. Nobody really does because most strikers are a level below him, even the good ones. Yeah I don't think Haaland deserves the Ballon d'Or this year, I'd pick Messi because I think the World Cup matters the most if it's within that cycle. I'm just arguing the idea that playing for City is the only reason he's scoring goals when he's scoring at the same rate as he did for Dortmund, Salzburg and Norway, who didn't have KDB etc. If you put Haaland in any team in the league he'd be among the top scorers, he's just got a knack for scoring goals.
 
Aguero who was one of the best strikers of his generation but couldn't score at the level Haaland does. Nobody really does because most strikers are a level below him, even the good ones. Yeah I don't think Haaland deserves the Ballon d'Or this year, I'd pick Messi because I think the World Cup matters the most if it's within that cycle. I'm just arguing the idea that playing for City is the only reason he's scoring goals when he's scoring at the same rate as he did for Dortmund, Salzburg and Norway, who didn't have KDB etc. If you put Haaland in any team in the league he'd be among the top scorers, he's just got a knack for scoring goals.

Exactly.

If this wasn't a WC season then we know who the front runner would be, tap ins be damned.
 
Enzo Fernandez got shafted because of his move to Chelsea. He was far more influential in the World Cup win than Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez and had a great 1st half of the season with Benfica.

A lot of lazy inclusions there like Dias, Benzema and Modric. Not sure what Muani, Muisala and Gvardiol are doing here either.

I dont know about this. Alvarez does the running Lauraro wasnt going to do. When you have Messi as one of your attackers you need an Alvarez type player.
 
Messi will get it and deserve it. Ballon D'or history favours the performers in the world cup and so it should. It's the biggest and most prestigious competition. His domestic season was decent for his standards but it's about the world cup for this.

Haaland is great and in a non-world cup year he should get it. But even then he hasn't been completely convincing in finals and semis and had a really strong team around him. Would still be enough to get it in a non-world cup year.

Modric won it in 2018, Cannavaro in 2006, Ronaldo 2002, Zidane 1998, Romario in 1994, Matthaus in 1990 and so on. All WCs best players. Not all of them had great club seasons too. It should stay this way unless someone does something truly exceptional in the club season or there's nobody good to choose from in the world cup.

If so much Messi Ronaldo fanyboyism didn't exist and if the Ballon dor voting methods weren't changed in the early 2010s (bias and not caring players and coaches could vote along with journalists) which was later reverted, then a top world cup performer would probably have won in 2010 and 2014.
 
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Messi will get it and deserve it. Ballon D'or history favours the performers in the world cup and so it should. It's the biggest and most prestigious competition. His domestic season was decent for his standards but it's about the world cup for this.

Haaland is great and in a non-world cup year he should get it. But even then he hasn't been completely convincing in finals and semis and had a really strong team around him. Would still be enough to get it in a non-world cup year.

Modric won it in 2018, Cannavaro in 2006, Ronaldo 2002, Zidane 1998, Romario in 1994, Matthaus in 1990 and so on. All WCs best players. It should stay this way unless someone does something truly exceptional in the club season or there's nobody good to choose from in the world cup.

If so much Messi Ronaldo fanyboyism didn't exist and if the Ballon dor voting methods weren't changed in the early 2010s (bias and not caring players and coaches could vote along with journalists) which was later reverted, then a top world cup performer would probably have won in 2010 and 2014.

Wc performances are often overrated. Sure if it's a maradonnaesque heroic from start to finish. But at the end of the day it's all about 3-4 runs of games where it matters (discounting the group stages)

It should only be a tie breaker.

But i have no complain if they give it to Messi as a last send-off although I'd prefer Halaand to win it as a new era post MessiNaldo
 
Be interesting to see if Ronaldo votes for Messi this year, knowing that he isn’t competing for it himself.
 
It's not only the World Cup, but Messi also had a really good season with PSG in terms of end product. It's just that it shows itself up in the form of goals and assists, not just goals. I think it's because Messi's domestic season wasn't as good as it was in his prime, but for any normal player it would be their best season ever. Granted there was like a small period where Messi wasn't performing well for PSG.
Not sure if was a good season when they got kicked out of champions league he scored 21 goals, wins the WC as the hero when the real hero was Di Maria but Adidas has a lot of power… Haaland scored a shit load of goals on the PL which is not easy (36 and 13 champions league), for sure Haaland was the better player last year.
 
Not sure if was a good season when they got kicked out of champions league he scored 21 goals, wins the WC as the hero when the real hero was Di Maria but Adidas has a lot of power… Haaland scored a shit load of goals on the PL which is not easy (36 and 13 champions league), for sure Haaland was the better player last year.

Why was the real hero Di Maria?
 
Because he earned it, it's mental to think of it as some robbery if he wins it.

For what? Winning a world cup, playing a few games at PSG then moving to the retirement league in America? Haaland deserves it and it isn't even close.
 
For what? Winning a world cup, playing a few games at PSG then moving to the retirement league in America? Haaland deserves it and it isn't even close.

He was PSG's best player for half of the season. Didn't just play a few matches. He was motm in about half the matches he played in.
 
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Genuinely surprised more hasn’t been made of Julian Alvarez winning this.
 
Not sure if was a good season when they got kicked out of champions league he scored 21 goals, wins the WC as the hero when the real hero was Di Maria but Adidas has a lot of power… Haaland scored a shit load of goals on the PL which is not easy (36 and 13 champions league), for sure Haaland was the better player last year.

At least you’re not bitter though eh

“The real hero was Di Maria” :lol: :lol:
 
This is terrible

The presenting is embarrassing

the English narration is woeful

it’s all completely awkward and of course phenomenally boring

why watch it then you ask? I’m an idiot