Erling Haaland told to snub Ballon d’Or ceremony forever if Lionel Messi wins 2023 award

Erling Haaland has been told to snub the Ballon d’Or ceremony for life if he is not handed this year’s award.

Haaland is one of seven Manchester City players on the 30-man shortlist for the annual gong, which will be revealed in Paris on October 30.

For the first time in 20 years there is no place on the list for five-time winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, who spent 2023 playing in the Saudi Pro League.

But his old adversary, Lionel Messi, who has won the award seven times, is already many people’s favourite to make that eight next month after the now-36-year-old capped his trophy-laden career with the World Cup in Qatar last December.

However, former Chelsea and Scotland midfielder, Craig Burley, reckons there should be only one name on the minds of anyone when it comes to handing over the Ballon d’Or trophy.

“If Erling Haaland doesn’t win this, close the shop,” Burley told ESPN. “Lionel Messi won the World Cup and it’s a great achievement, but it’s a four-week period. His general league form was not the best. PSG were terrible.

“Erling Haaland? Over 50 goals, a Premier League title, the FA Cup, and the Champions League. Erling Haaland should win this award. I know that a lot of people out there can’t get off the Messi bandwagon but look at the bigger picture.

“There’s going to be a lot of muppet journos voting for Messi. The big picture here is that Erling Haaland achieved everything over a long period of time.

“This award, like a few awards, drives me nuts but he’s the one that deserves it but I think out there it will be full of sentimental claptrap – Messi won the World Cup, Messi’s this and Messi’s that, and they will just hand him another one. And if I was Erling Haaland, I would never go back to another Ballon d’Or in my life, same as Robert Lewandowski.”

‌Men’s 2023 Ballon d’Or shortlist

André Onana (Man Utd), Josko Gvardiol (Man City), Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Mo Salah (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham ( Real Madrid ), Bukayo Saka ( Arsenal ), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City), Bernardo Silva (Man City), Emi Martínez (Aston Villa), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli), Ruben Dias (Man City), Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Erling Haaland (Man City), Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal), Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal), Julián Álvarez Man City), Ilkay Gündogan ( Barcelona ), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Rodri (Man City), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich).