At only 22 years old, can Erling Haaland deprive Lionel Messi of an 8th Ballon d’Or when he is appointed on October 30? Asking the question on December 18, even though the Argentinian had just lifted the Jules-Rimet Cup for the first time, rewarding the winner of the World Cup, seemed incongruous to say the least. Especially since at that time, the “Pulga” was literally walking on water with Paris SG, which confirmed him as the big favorite to succeed Karim Benzema. Weary for Messi, since this coronation he was waiting for so much, he has at least disappeared from circulation. Eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League with the capital club by Bayern Munich by performing two ghostly performances, the former Barcelonan also hardly shone on the green meadows of Ligue 1. Enough to open the door to a Norwegian of 1.94m and almost 90 kilos?
For the moment, the Argentinian’s rating remains very high with bookmakers but that of the Manchester City striker continues to climb. Individually, but also collectively. And on Saturday evening, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, the “Cyborg” will shoot his last card to try to reverse the trend in a Champions League final that could allow his club, Manchester City, to achieve a fabulous hat-trick with the English league title and the FA Cup trophy. A success in terms of the prize list which, obviously, can only plead in its favor with the hundred or so jurors called upon to cast their votes. Especially if it is accompanied by a great performance in this final. Thus, by scoring a double for example in the Istanbul enclosure, Haaland would bring his total of achievements this season to 54, in all competitions. A truly staggering figure, worthy… of the Lionel Messi of the great hours.
In the Premier League, he set a new record with 36, wiping out Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s 34. Very great art for a player who will not have needed any time to adapt to his new club and his new championship, he who joined Manchester last summer from Borussia Dortmund against the tidy sum of 75 million euros. Already highly profitable. The Norwegian has also hit hard on the European stage with 12 goals. Stunning figures, but which should however be moderated. In the Champions League, the Norwegian scored almost half of his goals against RB Leipzig in the round of 16 second leg (5 goals in the 7-0 inflicted by City on the German club), and he remained silent against Real Madrid in semi-finals. Ditto in the FA Cup where he was “content” with a hat-trick against Burnley in the quarter-finals (6-0), without managing to find the way to the opposing nets in the final against Manchester United (2-1). Hence this feeling that, to mark the spirits even more, he would have to be decisive in the final. As was for example Messi against France in Qatar with a double.
An absolute necessity also linked to other factors. Such as the popularity of Messi in South America in particular, and in the world of football in general, while Haaland impresses without completely seducing, in a way. His participation in the game is always questionable, which even his own coach, Pep Guardiola, reproaches him for, who dreams of making him an all-terrain striker capable of creating for others. Which he is capable of, but only intermittently so far. Difficult, too, to blame him for his Norwegian nationality, but it is obvious that Haaland can only suffer from his absence from the World Cup, THE competition that earns points. When we see that a Robert Lewandowski, another licensed serial-scorer in the same situation as him with a selection – Poland – in the background (but who has at least lived through the World Cup), has never had the Ballon d’ However, it is clear that the Citizens striker would be well advised to leave his mark on this final at Inter Milan, in the particularly impervious rearguard. Without forgetting, last argument against him, that a Kevin De Bruyne also attracts a lot of light in City and it is never good to be several to shine in the same team. Ask the Blues, world champions in 2018 and finally overtaken by Luka Modric…
