Rothen contends Haaland deserves Ballon d’Or over Messi

Former Paris Saint-Germain winger, Jerome Rothen, has voiced his opinion that Manchester City’s Erling Haaland should have been awarded the 2023 Ballon d’Or ahead of Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi. 

Rothen expressed his disbelief at Messi winning the 2023 Ballon d’Or over Haaland, stating that it is a shameful decision and questioning the award’s credibility.

When Messi was named the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or in France, he surpassed competitors such as Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe.

Speaking on RMC Sport, Rothen argued that the Ballon d’Or’s credibility is now in question after Messi’s victory over Haaland. He pointed out that the criteria for selecting Messi over other players for the award from August 2022 to June 2023 seem lacking. He emphasized that there are few, if any, criteria where Messi ranks number one. 

According to Rothen, Haaland had a more impressive track record, having won numerous titles with Manchester City and scoring over 60 goals in the year. He compared this to Messi’s goal tally of around 20 for his club last year. Rothen’s perspective is that when Messi and Ronaldo achieved such feats, it was justifiable for them to be ranked at the top. However, he believes that this time, there is a significant lack of credibility in the Ballon d’Or award.

Credit: RMC Sport