PSG Legend Labels Messi’s 8th Ballon d’Or “Disgraceful”, Insists Haaland Should Have Won

• Jerome Rothen has launched a scathing attack on the credibility of the Ballon d'Or
• The ex-PSG star believes this year's award should not have been given to Lionel Messi
• He argues Messi has not been the best player in the world for almost four seasons

Paris Saint-Germain legend Jerome Rothen has strongly criticized Lionel Messi's historic eighth Ballon d'Or victory, deeming it "disgraceful."

On Monday, October 30, Messi solidified his position as arguably the greatest footballer to have graced the sport, surpassing his long-standing rival Cristiano Ronaldo with an unprecedented Golden Ball win.

The 36-year-old Argentine, instrumental in securing Argentina's first World Cup triumph since 1986, triumphed over competition from Manchester City's Erling Haaland and his former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe.

Haaland's Ballon d'Or claim

While many acknowledge Messi's exceptional performance at the World Cup as deserving of the Ballon d'Or, there is a school of thought advocating for the award to have been given to either Haaland or Mbappe.

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In particular, Haaland's extraordinary goal-scoring record in the Premier League, where he shattered previous season records with an impressive 36 goals, alongside his significant contribution of 11 goals in Man City's triumphant Champions League campaign, per Transfermarkt, culminating in a historic treble, earned him a commendation.

Despite Haaland's stellar performance and collective achievements, he was placed second, while Mbappe secured the third spot, both watching as Messi claimed the prestigious award for the eighth time.

Rothen laments about 'disgraceful' Ballon d'Or

Rothen argues that Haaland's remarkable exploits with Manchester City warranted the Ballon d'Or, emphasizing that Messi's contributions with PSG and Miami were not significant enough to merit the esteemed individual accolade in football.

"It's disgraceful! Of course, it's disgraceful. As far as I'm concerned, it should have gone to Haaland," he declared on RMC Sport's show called 'Rothen catches fire' as cited by Mirror.

Rothern continued: "From August 2022 to June 2023, what criteria lead us to say that Leo Messi is above the others? There's hardly any criterion where he's number one."

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"If we look at his record, he's inferior to Haaland, even though he won the World Cup. Haaland won everything with Manchester City. And, of course, you can't compare him with the World Cup because Haaland is Norwegian.

"At PSG, Messi wasn't above the rest. He wasn't the best player at the club. It's problematic that a guy who's won the Ballon d'Or, who's supposed to be the best player in the world, isn't even the best player at his club.

"You have to stop being delirious! And over the last four years, he's won two Ballon d'Or awards. So for me, it's disgraceful. I'm hallucinating."

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Messi wins record 8th Ballon d'Or

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or for the eighth time in his career at a star-studded ceremony in Paris on Monday.

Messi, 36, succeeds Karim Benzema as the winner of the prize awarded for his performances last season when he inspired Argentina to glory at the World Cup.