The 2023 Ballon d'Or will be awarded later this month, with most believing this year's prize is a straight battle between Manchester City star Erling Haaland and Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
Both men have achieved tremendous milestones over the past 12 months to merit the award. On one side, you have the Norwegian striker who scored a whopping 52 goals in his debut season for Pep Guardiola's side to guide them to the treble — the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup titles.
On the other hand, you have La Pulga, who not only won Ligue 1 with PSG last season before guiding Inter Miami to the 2023 Leagues Cup trophy, their first silverware in history, but also captained Argentina to an unforgettable FIFA World Cup victory.
The 36-year-old lifted the prestigious title at Qatar 2022, ending his nation's 36-year wait for this prize. Not only that but Leo, who has won the Ballon d'Or a record seven times already, was also named the Player of the Tournament following a breathtaking display to lead La Albiceleste to glory.
With that in mind, a controversial report from well-known Spanish news outlet Sport emerged. According to the Catalan source, Messi has been chosen as the winner of the 2023 Ballon d'Or.
If true, not only would this see him win a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or, with Cristiano Ronaldo at five being his closest rivals, but the Argentine would also become the first player outside of Europe to lift this prize, having left Paris for Inter Miami over the summer.
This sparked controversy on social media, with some fans pointing to La Pulga's 2022 FIFA World Cup success to defend the Argentine's case while others slammed this reported decision, labeling the treble-winning Haaland as another victim to the "Messi bias".
However, one interesting aspect should be pointed out. Sport, the source that reported this story, has since taken down the article. It remains unclear whether the site was forced to delete the story or removed it after receiving conflicting info regarding the Ballon d'Or race. Fans must wait until October 30 to find out the answer.
