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Lionel Messi won a record-extending 8th Ballon d’Or ahead of close contenders Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe on Monday October 30, in Paris. 

 

Opinions were split regarding the decision, with a vast majority believing Messi’s world-cup winning exploits with Argentina made him a worthy winner, while others insisted Haaland deserved the honour, after an outstanding season with Manchester City. 

 

Either way, Messi has likely won his last Ballon d’Or, leaving the door open for a new winner. Haaland and Mbappe are early favourites to win next year’s award. 

 

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**Was Erling Haaland robbed of the Ballon d’Or?** 

The first question should be, what is the criteria for winning the award?  

 

France Football details the criteria for winning the Ballon d’Or as follows: individual performance, crucial actions, and impressive on-field behavior; accolades and a vital role in the team and finally fair play on the pitch. 

 

By these metrics, Haaland certainly ticked all of these boxes over the last calendar year, perhaps more than Messi does.  

The Norwegian goal-machine scored 36 times in 35 Premier League appearances, breaking the record for most league goals in a season. He finished the campaign with 52 goals in 53 games to help his side win a historic treble – Premier League title, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. 

However, it would appear that in a World Cup year, the tournament carries more weight than any club competition. There are other examples of players who performed to the best of their abilities at the tournament and were rewarded with the Ballon d’Or despite average performances at club level.  

Zinedine Zidane won his first Ballon d’Or in 1998 after an incredible World Cup performance despite only scoring 7 goals for Juventus during the season. Fabio Cannavaro also won the Ballon d’Or in 2006 after he captained Italy to glory in the World Cup, so while some may not agree with it, there is certainly precedence. 

In the end, Messi’s performance in Qatar was arguably the best single World Cup winning run in the tournament’s history. The Argentina captain scored seven goals at the World Cup, just one fewer than eventual Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe.  

He finished the tournament with the joint-highest number of assists (three) and key passes (21) and recorded more shots on target than any other player (13) He also became the first-ever player to score in the group stage last 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and final at a single edition of a World Cup, picking up a record five man of the match awards. 

So, yes Haaland had a monster season at club level but fell victim to the overwhelming impact of a World Cup year. 

 

**Kylian Mbappe’s season** 

Mbappe finished third in the Ballon d’Or voting behind Haaland, and certainly didn’t get the same goodwill from the public as the Norwegian did, mainly due to PSG’s struggles. 

The France captain contributed 41 goals and 5 assists for PSG last season, only Haaland had more goal contributions in top 5 leagues.  

But the truth is, PSG’s season was pretty mediocre by their own lofty standards. The Parisians were knocked out in the Champions League round of 16 against Bayern and were dumped out of the Coupe de France by Nice. They stumbled to the French league title as well, edging out Lens by a single point.  

However, Mbappe’s World Cup was so prolific that it was widely believed that whoever won that final between France and Argentina would produce the Ballon d’Or winner. 

The 24-year-old became only the second player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, scoring three goals against Argentina. He also secured the tournament’s Golden Boot with 8 goals and became the sixth all-time top goalscorer in World Cup history with 12, tied with the late, great Brazilian legend Pelé. 

Having scored a goal in the 2018 final, Mbappe also became the outright top goalscorer in World Cup finals, with four goals, and his hat-trick was the first in a men’s final since Geoff Hurst for England in 1966. 

In all likelihood, he would have been named best player at the World Cup and gone on to win the Ballon d’Or the same way Messi has just done if France had won instead of Argentina, due to the sheer strength of the FIFA World Cup. 


**What next for Haaland and Mbappe?** 

Surely, 2024 will see Mbappe and/or Haaland back on the Ballon d’Or podium, with one of the two kings-in-waiting poised to finally put an end to the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi era.  

What are their chances really? 2024 is another tournament year – the Euros. Haaland’s Norway are on the brink of elimination from the qualification rounds which means he needs another super-human year for Manchester City and even that may not suffice.  

Mbappe on the other hand, is better positioned to step into the power vacuum. France are favourites to win next year’s Euros and Mbappe will be a huge part of that. He is also now the main man at PSG, with Neymar and Messi finally gone.  

With PSG top of Ligue 1 already, Mbappe has 12 goals in 12 games and will almost certainly pick up another Golden Boot in what could be his last season in Paris (his contract expires next summer). 

There will be other contenders of course – Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham is tearing up trees in the La Liga, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane is a natural fit at Bayern Munich and Mohamed Salah, is having another monster season for Liverpool. Still, it is hard to look beyond Mbappe and Haaland as the main challengers, as the natural successors of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. 

● Bet on Erling Haaland to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or 

● Bet on Kylian Mbappe to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or 

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Messi's 2023 Ballon d'Or win means the Ronaldo-Messi era is finally over. Who wins the 2024 edition? Mbappe? Haaland? Find out here!

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Ballon d’Or Winner, 2024 Early Preview

● Bet on Erling Haaland to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or

● Bet on Kylian Mbappe to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or