Erling Haaland is a leading contender for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, but even Norway’s national team coach believes Lionel Messi will win the award.
Manchester City striker Haaland hit 52 goals across all competitions last season as he helped Manchester City win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup – completing a treble only done once in history before last season.
Haaland also broke countless Premier League records, including most goals in a single season despite playing four fewer games than the previous record holders.
However, Lionel Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina in December so he is also among the favourites to win.
Weighing in on this debate, Norway boss Stale Solbakken would be expected to side with Haaland in any discussion regarding the best player in the world, given that he works with the prolific 23-year-old at international level, but he has told VG when asked for his pick: “If you ask me who I think will win, I will say Messi will win it thanks to his World Cup triumph. It still has an impact.”
