Haaland scored 52 goals for Manchester City last season, helping the Blues win a historic treble and smashing multiple Premier League goalscoring records on the way. Having won the big Player of the Year awards in England, Haaland was recently crowned UEFA Player of the Year, and has his sights on the prestigious Ballon d’Or gong.
However, Messi is odds-on favorite due to his form at the 2022 World Cup, where he dragged Argentina to the final, and then scored twice against France to help his country become World Champion.
And Norway boss Stale Solbakken says that Messi will beat Haaland to the Ballon d’Or for his World Cup exploits.
With compatriot Martin Odegaard also on the 30-name shortlist, Solbakken said that the nominations reflect well on Norwegian football.
“It’s probably between Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling,” he said. “And then there are some outsiders under there. If you ask who I think will win, I think Messi will win because of the World Cup. There is an emphasis on this year with the World Cup. Mbappé was there too.
“Then Erling has top scorer titles, he has broken records and all the ‘player of the year’ titles in England, plus he won the most prestigious club tournament. He also stands strong.”
Meanwhile, Solbakken has also spoken about City winger Oscar Bobb in recent days, with the Norway under-21 international making his senior debut for City before the international break and impressing against Fulham after looking promising in pre-season.
