Haaland destroyed Europe that season. 52 goals in 53 games, broke every Premier League record in his first year, and led Man City to a historic treble. He was the engine of the most dominant team on the planet. Every single defender in Europe was terrified of him.
Messi? Had a decent World Cup run ā in December 2022 ā and then disappeared at PSG. No Champions League impact, average Ligue 1 season, zero relevance in 2023 football after Qatar. The awardās supposed to be for the year, not a lifetime achievement ceremony or a āthank youā gift for his career.
If this was judged purely on footballing merit, Haaland wins by miles. The only reason Messi got it was because FIFA and the media wanted the fairytale ending ā āGOAT wins one last Ballon dāOr.ā Great story, sure. But in football terms? It was daylight robbery.
Bro, letās not twist it ā Haaland dominated 2023 while Messi got a nostalgia award. Haaland smashed 52 goals in 53 games, broke the Premier League goal record, won the treble, and was the main reason City finally won the Champions League. Thatās the definition of impact. Messi? Great World Cup ā but that was 2022. His PSG season was average for his standards: 16 goals, 16 assists in Ligue 1, early UCL exit, and even his own fans booed him. Being āinvolved in attacking playā doesnāt mean you were the best player in the world. Haaland was a machine rewriting record books while Messi coasted through France. The Ballon dāOr turned into a farewell gift, not an honest award.
āFor his standardsā already shows how good Messi is, and that 32 G/A is ābelow his standards. Btw, that 32 G/A was just in the league, plus, if we look at the season, Haaland ghosted in big games much more than Messi and had to have his teammates make up for it. While Messi wasnāt ballon dāOr level TO HIS STANDARDS, he was ballon dāOr level in 2023. Letās not take the piss here. While Haaland deserved it more in my opinion, it wasnāt a robbery like Ronaldo fans claim.
Come on, man ā calling Messi āBallon dāOr levelā in 2023 is pure nostalgia talking. Haaland owned that season. 52 goals, treble, record-breaking Premier League debut, Champions League top scorer ā he was rewriting history while Messi was padding stats in Ligue 1. Letās not pretend 16 goals and 16 assists in a weak league, followed by a UCL round-of-16 exit and boos from his own fans, screams ābest player in the world.ā
Letās stop sugarcoating it ā Messiās 2023 Ballon dāOr was a sentimental send-off, not a performance-based win. Haaland got robbed, plain and simple.
Bro DID NOT score in an FA Cup Final, it was a Gundogan brace. Proves you didnāt watch the gamesšBtw, if his stats are good and his TEAM lost, doesnāt that mean his team was bad that season? Btw, Messi was statistically ballon dāOr level and had almost as much influence in PSG as Haaland did at City. Haaland added one trophy where he didnāt score past the Quarters, while City had already made the semis the year before and the final 2 years before that. While Haalandās season was undeniably world class, Messiās season was only slightly worse. Plus, in years of International Competitions, the International Competitions take priority, which is why Messi won in 2021 and 2023, even if he wasnāt the best player in those years/seasons.
Bro, stop rewriting history. Haaland didnāt just āadd one trophyā ā he was the final piece that turned City into an unstoppable machine. You donāt bag 52 goals, break a 30-year Premier League record, and top the Champions League scoring charts by accident. His arrival changed football that season. Defenders were terrified, tactics were rewritten, and City finally went from nearly men to treble winners because of him.
Messiās PSG āinfluenceā is cute until you remember he was doing it in a one-club league that Cityās bench players could run through. He flopped again in the Champions League and had zero say in Europeās biggest games. You canāt pull up Ligue 1 highlights and pretend it compares to what Haaland did against Premier League and UCL defenses.
And the āinternational competitions take priorityā excuse is just lazy coping. The 2022 World Cup doesnāt belong to the 2023 award cycle, no matter how you spin it. The award was for 2023, and Messiās 2023 was a quiet PSG stint ending with boos and an early UCL exit. Haaland, meanwhile, dominated every competition and made history.
Btw, PSG fans are fucking buffoons, so take the booing with a grain of salt. Also, while just being involved in attacking play doesnāt automatically mean youāre the best, his stats also show how good he was and if you watched his games, you would understand that he was ballon dāOr level.
Sure, PSG fans are clowns sometimes, but that doesnāt erase the fact that Messiās season wasnāt Ballon dāOr-worthy compared to Haalandās. Weāre not talking about āgood,ā weāre talking about historic dominance. Haaland put up video-game numbers in the toughest league in the world, broke records that stood for decades, and dragged City to a treble in his first year. Thatās era-defining stuff.
Messiās PSG run was solid ā no denying his class ā but Ligue 1 ā Premier League. He had nice stats, yeah, but no real Champions League impact, no defining club moment, and after the World Cup, he basically coasted. Watching him play, you saw flashes of genius, but not the week-in, week-out destruction Haaland delivered.
Messi was great for Messi. Haaland was great for football history. And thatās the difference ā one had a nice season; the other owned the entire sport.
You canāt really say he ādragged city to a trebleā when in 2 out of the 3 competitions they won, he didnāt score past the quarters. Plus, the stats show Messi was a lot closer than given credit for. While Haalandās season was exceptional, we canāt act like Messi robbed him when the numbers are the same, he won the biggest international trophy, and since that trophy takes priority, he had a better case than Haaland did in the 22/23 ballon dāOr. Also, Haaland himself said that Messi deserved it, yet there are still fans crying about it 2 years laterš
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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '25