2023 Ballon d’Or Battle: Haaland Names One Messi Attribute He Wants

• Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi are the top two favourites for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award
• Messi has his World Cup title while Haaland makes a case with his Manchester City treble
• The Norwegian striker has named one attribute he loves in his opponent for the golden ball

Erling Haaland has shown his gracious side by naming one thing he admires in Lionel Messi despite both men set for an epic battle for the 2023 Ballon d'Or crown.

The two stars are the undoubted favourites for this year's award and come October 30, one of them will be the best footballer in the world for the year under review.

Messi captained Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to 'complete football', while Haaland spearheaded Manchester City's goal-scoring in their treble-winning season.

According to Goal, the Argentine is the favourite to win the coveted award for a record-extending eighth time ahead of the Norwegian striker, who is sure to make the podium for the first time.

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Football

Haaland admires Messi's dribbling

Both players are left-footed and vary in skill sets.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward possesses the ability to delete opponents and has an eye for goals and passes. At the same time, the Premier League star is reputable for his positioning and goal-scoring.

Speaking to L'Equipe, Haaland was asked to pick an attribute he admired in another player and his answer showed his class because he was allowed to mention any player.

"I wish I had Messi's dribbling. It's quite a good choice, isn't it?" he said.

According to Sportskeeda, only Kylian Mbappe and Jamal Musiala completed more dribbles than Messi's 15 in Qatar.

Griezmann makes Ballon d'Or pick

Sports Brief also reported on Antoine Griezmann making his Ballon d'Or pick for this year's awards and his choice tilted towards the man who denied him consecutive World Cup titles.

The French forward recognised Haaland's achievement in his first season in English football with the European treble but claimed the World Cup year should have only one winner.