Every year, a few weeks before the official Ballon d’Or award ceremony, the rumor grows. Journalists from France Football, partner of the trophy, would have been seen, it is said, visiting a particular player, who would therefore be the next winner of the prize. 2023 was no exception. This time, the magazine’s special correspondents would have been spotted in Florida, where Lionel Messi has been based since his departure from Paris Saint-Germain in July. Difficult, therefore, to feign surprise, when, Monday October 30 at 10:30 p.m., David Beckham – also owner of Inter Miami where the Argentinian now plays – opened the envelope, and pronounced the name of the attacking from the stage of the Théâtre du Châtelet.
The sequence has an air of déjà vu for the public present in the Parisian room, as for the viewers following the broadcast of the ceremony. And for good reason: this is the eighth time since 2009 that the Pulga (the “flea”) has received the prestigious individual award, which crowns the best footballer of the year. To the point that Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City, who was his coach at FC Barcelona for many years, had fun with it a few days ago at a press conference: “The Ballon d’Or was to have two sections. One for Messi, and then we look for the others. »
The others, starting with Erling Haaland, whom the Spanish coach currently manages for the Citizens. The 23-year-old Norwegian was the South American’s main competitor. Author of a dazzling season, he can boast of having achieved a treble with his club: championship, FA Cup and Champions League. Only the red neighbor, United, had achieved the same feat, almost twenty-five years ago. But, for the Ballon d’Or jury, this stack of trophies was not enough to overtake Messi.
What does it matter, therefore, if the striker scored 52 goals in 53 matches, in all competitions, for his first year in Mancunian colors. What does it matter, too, if he finished top scorer in the Premier League (36 goals in 35 games), in the Champions League (12 goals in 11 games) and was named best player in the Union European Football Associations, August 31.
This Monday, Erling Haaland had to settle for second place – and the Gerd Müller trophy for top scorer. Kylian Mbappé – 6e last year -, this time, ranks third in the votes. The Frenchman, top scorer at a World Cup in Qatar where the Blues finished second, suffered in particular from the mediocre season of his club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
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