Matthaus furious over Ballon d'Or: This is a farce, Haaland has been better all year

It was already widely talked about, football insiders "killed" the uncertainty long before the award itself, and last night in Paris it just became official - Lionel Messi was named the best player by France Football during the 2022/23 season.

Primarily thanks to winning the World Cup in Qatar, the Argentinian star picked up the Ballon d'Or for the eighth time in his career, the biggest individual award that a football player can receive, thus increasing his advantage over eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Many congratulated him on that, there were also those who did not agree with the voter's decision, and one of those who cannot come to terms with the fact that Messi was named the best in the previous season is Lothar Matthaus.

The legendary German footballer believes that the Ballon d'Or should have gone to Erling Haaland, partly because he broke the record for the number of goals scored in one Premier League season, partly because of the treble he won with Manchester City. However, Matthaus emphasizes that winning the World Cup unfairly took advantage for Messi, even though he himself won the Ballon d'Or in 1990 after the World Cup in Italy.

"Haaland has been better than Messi all year. This award is undeserved and proves that the World Cup is valued more than anything else. For me, no one has been better than Haaland. He has been the best in the past 12 months. He has won important trophies with Manchester City, setting records for the number of goals scored in the process. Although I have always been a Messi fan, this is a farce," Matthaus told the German Sky Sports.

Just to remind you, Haaland won the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup last season with Manchester City and scored 52 goals with nine assists in 53 games in all competitions. Messi, on the other hand, won Ligue 1 and the French Super Cup with Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 21 goals and 20 assists in all competitions for the Parisians, while he won the World Cup with Argentina, finishing the tournament with seven goals and three assists.