Mbappe shows true colours with opinion on Messi winning Ballon d'Or again

19 November 2023 , 17:13

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Mbappe shows true colours with opinion on Messi winning Ballon d'Or again

Kylian Mbappe has admitted Lionel Messi 'deserved' to win the Ballon d'Or after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.

Messi scored seven goals during the tournament, including a brace in the final, as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time. As a result, Messi won a record extending eighth Ballon d'Or last month.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland finished second behind Messi after firing Pep Guardiola's side to a historic treble with 52 goals across all competitions. Mbappe, meanwhile, came in third after finishing as the World Cup's top scorer.

And when asked about Messi's Ballon d'Or win while on international duty with France, Mbappe replied: "I am not scared that it [the award] has escaped me. Messi deserves it.

"In the evening of the 18th [December 2022], I knew he'd won the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or. I had a great season, like Haaland, but when you win the World Cup, that makes the difference."

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However, some have criticised Messi's win with former Norwegian international Gunnar Halle claiming Haaland "probably should have won". Speaking to Mirror Football earlier this month, Halle said: "He won the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Champions League and scored almost 60 goals – I’m not sure what else he could have done!

"He was fantastic but I think people were expecting Messi to win it. They hoped that Erling would, but because of the World Cup I think it was always going to be Messi. I'm not sure that anyone in Norway was too surprised.

Lionel Messi won the eighth Ballon d'Or of his career last month (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

"Erling's statistics are incredible, and the way he has been scoring and the competitions he has won, he probably should have won. But there you go. That happens sometimes. But it certainly won’t change the way that people feel about him.

"Everywhere you look there are Manchester City shirts with his name on the back. Before they would have beenManchester Unitedshirts – you don't see that anymore! There's an expectation on him when he plays for Norway, of course there is. But he can cope with that.

"In fact, he can cope with everything. With him and (Martin) Odegaard on the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, there's real hope for the future. And the Ballon d'Or? Don't worry, Erling will win it next season."

Matthew Cooper