Erling Haaland thinks he can beat Lionel Messi to Ballon d’Or

Erling Haaland believes he has a good chance of winning the Ballon d’Or – even against odds-on favourite Lionel Messi.

Haaland scored 52 goals in his debut season at Manchester City, helping the Blues win the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup, before they added the Super Cup to their collection at the start of this season. Few players have had a better individual season than Haaland, who set multiple Premier League goalscoring records.

Usually a year like Haaland’s would put him as firm favourite for the Ballon d’Or award, but the Norwegian is not favourite for the 2023 accolade due to Lionel Messi’s World Cup-winning exploits with Argentina.

Messi dragged Argentina through the World Cup in Qatar in December, scoring twice in the final and also in their victorious penalty shoot-out. While his form for PSG was good, it was not on the same level as Haaland’s, so the City man says he believes he has a good chance of upsetting the odds when the winner is announced at the end of October.

Speaking to France Football, who organise the Ballon d’Or, Haaland was discussing his chances and his ability to improve from his incredible 12 months in Manchester.

Asked if he considered himself the best striker in the world, he replied diplomatically: “In my mind… It all depends on what we mean by striker. It’s a trick question. I’m definitely up there. Am I the best? Maybe.’

“I know I can still improve a great deal. I’m still young. But yes, I believe I have a chance [at winning the Ballon d’Or] this year.”

Another player who may rival Haaland and Messi for the prestigious award is Kylian Mbappe, who played a key part in getting France to the World Cup final, pulling his country back from 3-1 down to force penalties. However, Haaland was unconvinced at a potential rivalry between himself and Mbappe, in a similar fashion to the long-running comparisons between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“That’s what everyone thinks, but you have to emphasise just how crazy the things Messi and Cristiano have done,” said Haaland. “You also have to remember that they’re still doing it, even if they’re getting older. They’re still fantastic players.

“But I never talk about myself being against other players, it’s not my way of seeing things. I focus on myself, I only try to be better every day, to continue enjoying what I do and being the best version of myself.”

And regarding his own talents, in particular his knack for creating space in the box to get on the end of crosses, Haaland said that instinct plays a huge role in his goalscoring

He explained: “This is part instinct and, obviously, hard work. Instinct is the belief the ball will come in a given place, a kind of sixth sense hidden in the brain.

“But apart from that, you need to work a lot, work on your individual abilities, and learn to understand your teammates. It’s an understanding of the game with that instinct that tells you, ‘It’s now’.”