This season’s Ballon d’Or race has been a hotly contested competition all the way through. From the end of the World Cup in December 2022 to the end of the season in June of this year, it was a two-horse race for the footballing world’s greatest individual honor. The race was between Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, but it was also between playmaking versus goal-scoring, a World Cup versus a Treble, arguably the greatest footballer of all time versus the game’s new king. In the end, Messi came out on top and earned his record-breaking eighth Ballon d’Or, three more than the player with the second-most (Cristiano Ronaldo). While it became clear in the days leading up to the announcement that Messi would be crowned, many believed that he was undeserving of the award.
Erling Haaland had one of the best seasons in the history of the game in terms of pure goal-scoring. In 53 games, Haaland scored 52 goals for Manchester City. He broke the English Premier League’s single-season scoring record with 36 goals in just 35 appearances, and he managed 12 goals in 11 appearances in the world’s biggest club competition: the UEFA Champions League. Additionally, Haaland’s team became just the second team in English history to win the treble (Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in one season). While this feat has been accomplished a few times in Germany and Spain, it is extremely difficult in England, as the English club system is one of the toughest in the world.
These stats explain why many fans were calling Messi’s win a “robbery.” However, Messi did one thing that historically has earned the Ballon d’Or. Messi had a phenomenal World Cup, with his Argentina squad winning in 2022 and Messi scoring seven goals in seven games with three assists. Messi had more shots than anyone else at the tournament, he had the third most successful dribbles and he was the most fouled player at the tournament. Messi won Player of the Tournament in 2022; the last player to win it was Luka Modric in 2018. Modric also won that year’s Ballon d’Or, which set the precedent that incredible World Cup performances win players the Ballon d’Or.
This is a fair precedent, given that the World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world and only happens every four years. However, some Haaland supporters have turned to the 2010 World Cup in their defense of Haaland. In 2010, Messi won the Ballon d’Or despite Xavi Hernández, Messi’s Barcelona teammate, winning the World Cup on top of the four trophies he and Messi won for Barcelona that year. However, the journalists who voted on the award decided that Messi’s 60 goals and 17 assists in 64 games for Barcelona and Argentina were worth more than Xavi’s World Cup title.
This all seems suspicious to those who think Messi did not deserve his eighth Ballon d’Or last week. However, as always, there is an explanation. Unlike Xavi in 2010, Messi statistically had more to show from this year than silverware. On top of the World Cup, Messi won the French Ligue 1 and the French domestic tournament. For Paris Saint-Germain, Messi scored 31 goals and had 21 assists for a total goals involvement of 52 in just 48 games. Messi won man of the match 12 times for PSG, while Haaland won only six for Manchester City.
Messi had 21 fewer goals than Haaland, played in a far weaker league and did not win the Champions League. But Messi had 12 more assists than Haaland, won man of the match in twice as many club games, won a World Cup that Haaland didn’t participate in, won player of the tournament and won a record-breaking five “Man of the Match” awards in just seven World Cup games.
Finally, Messi and Haaland are simply different players. Haaland won the award for the world’s best striker because that’s what he is. Haaland is an extremely gifted and talented goal-scoring machine often referred to as a goal-scoring robot. Messi is not just a goal scorer. He scores plenty of goals, but he also creates goals. In 2023, Messi was second in chances created, with 189 shooting chances created in just 31 appearances in Ligue 1. Only Bruno Fernandes created more of these chances, but he played two more games than Messi.
The data says Messi is a deserving winner, and so does Haaland’s coach Pep Guardiola, who said there should be two sections in the Ballon d’Or, one for Messi, and one for everyone else. “Haaland should win,” Guardiola in an interview with Sky Sports on Oct. 20 said. “We won the treble because he scored 52 goals, but, of course, Messi — his worst season is the best of most players. Both deserve it.”
Guardiola is right. Haaland deserves the award this year. His stats were record-breaking and, in previous years, would have won him the award. But Messi did just that much more. It will always be hard to win a Ballon d’Or as long as the eight-time winner is still lacing up his boots.
