Who will succeed Karim Benzema in winning the Golden Ball award? It is unlikely that Lionel Messi, according to Luis Figo, will be the winner in 2000. The Portuguese football legend believes that the Champions League plays a big role in the final classification and that this competition will overshadow Argentina’s performance in the World Cup in Qatar.
“I will not choose Messi because he is no longer involved in the Champions League and I think this competition has a huge impact on people who vote for the Ballon d’Or,” said the former Paris midfielder. Participated in the Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony as an ambassador. Lionel Messi has also been named in the Male Athlete of the Year category.
On top of the world at the end of 2022, by winning the World Cup in Argentina and the Best Player Cup in the competition, the Argentine started 2023 in first place. We imagined then that a high-profile duel began with Kylian Mbappe, his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, finalist and first World Cup goal scorer with eight achievements. But the exclusion of the Parisians in the knockout stages of the Champions League against Bayern Munich clearly rearranged the cards.
“A great season” for Haaland
A few hours before the start of the semi-finals of the competition, the former Portugal international mentioned other serious candidates for this trophy. And between Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Luis Figo has a slight preference. “It’s really difficult to choose, it will depend on the rest of the season. In particular, we have to wait for the Champions League final, which can make a big difference. But I might choose Haaland more. He’s still in the competition, and he’s having a great season.”
On the other hand, the former Real Madrid player said very little about the possible repercussions of Lionel Messi’s trip to Saudi Arabia, which led to his suspension by Paris Saint-Germain. Asked about the penalty, Figo explained: “I’m not part of the club, so I don’t know the rules the club put in place. I can’t really comment on this situation. Every club, he insists, behaves differently. But the good thing is that he’s back. He can train.” Playing and helping his team.
