There isn’t much to complain about Erling Haaland in 2023. The striker has won a lot, including a historic treble for Manchester City. He has also racked up awards like FIFA Best and IFFHS Player of the Year. Yet, the Norwegian didn’t make the cut for the Sofascore Team of the Year! Interestingly, the person touted to be his rival for the Ballon d’Or in the coming years, Kylian Mbappe, took up his place in the starting eleven. What could be the logic that they did not include a player who scored 50 goals in the year in the TOTY?

Furthermore, Haaland also missed out on the IFFHS Top Scorer Award to a 38-year Cristiano Ronaldo. His injury issues at the tail end of the year have impacted his momentum. With him due to return in January, the Norwegian striker will be eager to remind everyone once again of his otherworldly qualities. For now, he remains on the sidelines. 

Kylian Mbappe & Jude Bellingham star in Sofascore’s TOTY

The star-studded team features Harry Kane and Antoine Griezmann upfront. Moreover, the wingers include PSG star Kylian Mbappe & Sassuolo attacker Domenico Berardi. Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have scored 52 goals in the year. Even though Griezmann and Berardi have fewer numbers, they made their way into the list, which excluded Haaland. 

And the midfield features the sensational Jude Bellingham and Bayern Munich’s stalwart Joshua Kimmich. Notably, Bellingham is incidentally the Sofascore POTY. Premier League trio Virgil van Dijk, Kieran Trippier and Pascal Groß, and Juventus man Danilo dominate the defense. Between the sticks, Monza star Di Gregorio is the goalkeeper.

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Sofascore ratings are computer algorithm-based on goals & assists, which play a significant part in the ratings. Yet, other metrics like passes completed, crosses, chances created, touches, long balls, and defensive skills also play a huge part. Haaland is a fox in the box but does not contribute much besides goals. One may say that might be the reason for his snub. His teammates also recognized this, as seen by Bernardo Silva’s recent comments.

Club Legend Asks Real Madrid to Sign Erling Haaland Instead of Kylian Mbappe

Bernardo Silva’s relentless Haaland mission

Portuguese Midfielder Bernardo Silva wants to see more involvement from Erling Haaland. Silva said, “It’s trying to involve him as much as we can in the game because I know he’s a player who doesn’t need to touch the ball very often.” 

Furthermore, Man City has been without star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for much of the season. Hence, the Norwegian has received much less service and hasn’t been terrorizing defenses like he used to last season. Yet the questions still arise. 

Did Kylian Mbappe deserve to be in the TOTY ahead of Haaland? Let us know in the comments below.

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