Even though the 2022-2023 season does not go as expected, Messi still has a great chance to raise the 8th Golden Ball of his career.
What are the chances for Lionel Messi to win his 8th Golden Ball? Photo: Goal
World Cup 2022 championship
Lionel Messi scored 7 goals at the 2022 World Cup, only 1 goal less than top scorer Kylian Mbappe. The 36-year-old also leads the league in assists and shots on target.
The former Barcelona striker also became the first player in World Cup history to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final at the same tournament.
Messi is currently the only person to have been named the World Cup’s Best Player twice. 9 years ago, El Pulga achieved this achievement in a tournament in Brazil.
Messi has played a total of 5 World Cups with 13 goals and 8 assists. El Pulga has the most appearances at the tournament, surpassing former German midfielder Lothar Matthaus.
Winning the 2022 World Cup is a special milestone for Messi. Photo: AFP
For a long time, Diego Maradona was always considered number 1 in Argentina because of his World Cup victory in 1986. Messi was under a lot of pressure because of that and the controversy only stopped after the tournament in Qatar.
Messi is not bad at PSG
Before the 2022 World Cup, Messi had a perfect run with impressive performances in the PSG shirt.
The Argentine’s first season at Parc des Princes after leaving Barcelona was a huge disappointment. However, he has regained his best form in the first half of the 2022-2023 season.
Messi scored 12 goals in all competitions while also contributing 14 assists – more than any other player in Europe’s top 5 national championships.
However, after the 2022 World Cup, everything has completely changed. Messi seemed caught up in the joy of winning in his home country of Argentina and was not in the best shape when he returned to PSG.
Not only that, PSG also suffered a big loss when Neymar suffered a serious injury before the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 with Bayern Munich. Galtier’s team lost with a total score of 3-0 without Neymar. And of course, the Brazilian player and Messi have to endure a lot of criticism.
Messi does not deserve criticism at PSG. Photo: AFP
Despite successfully defending the Ligue 1 championship, the wave of protests still took place fiercely in Paris. Whatever comes must come, Messi and Neymar simultaneously left PSG this summer.
But it would be unfair to conclude that Messi had a bad 2022-23 season. He scored 21 goals and had 20 assists in 41 matches in all competitions. Only Mohamed Salah, Mbappe and Haaland were more influential than Messi.
Will Haaland become a rival to Messi?
Eling Haaland is the brightest candidate to compete with Messi in this year’s Golden Ball election.
The former Dortmund striker moved to Man City for 52 million pounds and is considered a “bargain”. He broke the record for scoring the most goals in a Premier League season with 36 goals.
Haaland also scored 12 goals on his way to helping Man City win their first Champions League title.
Pep Guardiola’s army became a formidable force when taking over both the Premier League and Champions League with the addition named Haaland. The Norwegian striker was recently named PFA and UEFA Player of the Year. And of course, he deserves it.
Can Haaland prevent Messi from winning his 8th Golden Ball? Photo: MC
But the important problem is that Haaland does not make a difference in big matches like Messi. In the two finals of the Champions League and FA Cup, the Norwegian player was “incompetent”.
If he cannot score goals, in terms of contribution to the overall gameplay, Haaland cannot be compared to Messi.
Haaland averaged just 24.8 touches and 11.7 passes per game last season. Man City still played their usual dominating style even when Haaland was absent.
In contrast, Messi is the playmaker for Argentina and PSG respectively. El Pulga can kill the game with a smart pass or a deadly finish.
Haaland is a tall, tall striker with killer instincts and smart runs. But in terms of comprehensiveness, Haaland needs to improve a lot.
