Erling Haaland broke his silence on social media after Lionel Messi’s won his eighth Ballon d’Or.
The City forward came in second and Kylian Mbappe was third. The Ballon d’Or is given to the best football player of the year, as voted by 100 journalists from around the world.
Some people thought Haaland deserved to win because he scored 52 goals in his first season at City and helped his team win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.
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However, the Norwegian responded to Messi’s victory with dignity, sharing a picture of the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star on Instagram, which he captioned “Felicitaciones Leo Messi” (Congratulations Leo Messi).
Haaland, scored a record-breaking 36 goals in 35 Premier League games in the 2022/23 season, received the Gerd Muller Trophy for being the top goal scorer.
“I want to thank Manchester City. I also want to thank my family and all the people around me for making me who I am today ,” said Haaland.
Even though Lionel Messi’s eighth Ballon d’Or has sparked debates in the football world, he congratulated Haaland and Mbappe in his speech in Paris on Monday.
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”Haaland and Mbappe will win the Ballon d’Or one day. Erling deserved it very much too, he has won the Premier League, and Champions League while being the top scorer of everything. This award could have been yours today too. I’m sure in the next years you will win it,” said Messi.
