Guardiola proposes giving Ballon d'Or to Messi alone

Coach Pep Guardiola admitted that his student Erling Haaland could not beat Lionel Messi if the Golden Ball award was only given to one player.

"The Ballon d'Or should have two categories, one for Messi and one for the rest," Guardiola said on October 20 at a press conference before the match against Brighton in the ninth round of the Premier League. "Messi's worst season is the best season for the rest of the players."

However, the Man City coach believes that both Haaland and Messi deserve to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or. He added: "Haaland scored many important goals to help Man City win the treble, but Messi won the World Cup. But it's great to have a Man City player competing for this title for the first time in many years. That makes us very proud."

Guardiola encouraged Haaland after the Man City - Arsenal match in the Community Shield earlier this season. Photo: AFP — Guardiola encouraged Haaland after the Man City - Arsenal match in the Community Shield earlier this season. Photo: *AFP*

Earlier, in an interview with Spanish radio station COPE earlier this week, Rodri shared similar thoughts. The Spanish midfielder praised his teammate Haaland for his great contribution to Man City's historic treble, but said Messi would win the 2023 Ballon d'Or. "I think Messi will win this award. Haaland is also an important player and has made a great contribution," he said.

According to bookmaker Bet365 , Messi is currently the number one candidate to win the Ballon d'Or this year, with a winning rate of 1/10 (bet 10 to win 1). Meanwhile, Haaland is ranked second with a rate of 9/2, Rodri is ranked third with a rate of 40/1, Kevin De Bruyne and Vinicius are ranked fourth with a rate of 50/1, and Kylian Mbappe is ranked sixth with a rate of 66/1.

At club level, Messi has not been outstanding with 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 matches in all competitions with PSG. But he has flourished at the national team level, scoring seven goals, including a brace in the final against France, helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup. The 36-year-old striker was also awarded the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball - the award for the best player of the tournament in Qatar 2022, and has won the best player award five times.

Messi's toughest rival is Haaland - who did not attend the World Cup, but had great success at club level. In the 2022-2023 season, the Norwegian striker scored 52 goals in 53 matches, winning the treble of the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. He won all individual titles, including the best player and best young player of the 2022-2023 Premier League, awarded by the tournament organizers, the best player of the season in English football voted by the Football Writers' Association (FWA) and the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), the Champions League top scorer, the European Golden Shoe but did not help the Norwegian team qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

If he continues to be honored by France Football magazine, Messi will become the first player to win the Ballon d'Or while playing for a club outside of Europe. In the summer of 2023, the Argentine star joined Inter Miami on a free transfer, contributing 11 goals and five assists in 13 matches, helping the club win the Leagues Cup but could not win a place in the playoffs to compete for the MLS championship.

Messi received the 2021 Ballon d'Or, and holds the record of winning the world's most prestigious individual award seven times. Photo: AFP — Messi received the 2021 Ballon d'Or, and holds the record of winning the world's most prestigious individual award seven times. Photo: *AFP*

Rodri is also among the 30 nominees for the 2023 Ballon d'Or announced by French magazine France Football on September 6. The Portuguese midfielder has an irreplaceable position in the Man City squad, scoring four goals and seven assists in 56 matches last season. He scored important goals to help Man City win the Champions League for the first time, including the curling goal in the 3-0 win over Bayern in the first leg of the quarter-finals and the only goal in the final victory over Inter Milan. Coach Pep Guardiola has also repeatedly praised Rodri as the best defensive midfielder in the world.

However, the 27-year-old admitted that he had no chance of winning the award because he did not receive the same media attention as other strong candidates, such as Haaland or Messi. "I know this is a personal award with a strong commercial element," Rodri said. "Compared to other candidates, I lack the media favor, like Xavi or Andres Iniesta. I care more about the things I can control, which are collective titles."

From 2022, France Football magazine will change the criteria, when the Ballon d'Or award will be based on the achievements in the most recent season, not the calendar year. This year's award ceremony will take place on October 30 in Paris, France.

Hong Duy

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