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Pundit angered by Messi winning Ballon d’Or as it was undeserved

Originally posted on Caught Offside | By Connor Holden | Last updated 10/31/23

talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan has had his say on Lionel Messi winning the Ballon d’Or, as he believes Messi wasnt the deserving winner.

Questioning the awards decision making, Jordan asked whether the Ballon d’Or is won on individual games or over an entire season, as many believe Messi winning this award is down to his World Cup performances, and winning the competition.

Jordan spoke on the brilliance of Erling Haaland, scoring a record amount of goals for Manchester City and winning a treble, saying in previous years this would have won the award.

His final words stated he felt it was more like “a lifetime award” rather than him being the best player in the world for that year.

“Does the world revolve around Messi?!” ?

“You can rock up to a World Cup, and win the Ballon d’Or? Is that the criteria?!” ?

Simon Jordan breaks down why Messi DIDN’T deserve to win the #BallonDor pic.twitter.com/8H6dICWZj0

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) October 31, 2023

Messi won the Ballon d’Or, with Haaland finishing 2nd, Kylian Mbappe finishing third, Kevin de Bruyne in 4th and Rodri in 5th.

The Argentinian led his country to a World Cup triumph, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in the competition.

Meanwhile Haaland finished the 2022/23 season with 52 goals in 53 appearances, providing nine assists and helping Manchester City win a treble (Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League).

Mbappe also had a great year, winning the World Cup golden boot with eight goals (scoring a hattrick in the final), and scoring 41 goals in 43 games for PSG, also providing 10 assists.

This article first appeared on Caught Offside and was syndicated with permission.

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