Lionel Messi has separated the soccer fanbase, yet again. In the aftermath of the Argentinian superstar’s triumph as the recipient of the 2023 FIFA The Best Men’s Player Award, debates have sparked over whether Messi truly deserved the accolade. Amidst the controversy, an Arsenal legend has vocally backed Erling Haaland as the true heir to the award, claiming he ‘deserves something for what he’s done.’ 

This shocking assertion was made in the latest episode of Stick To Football’s special segment, ‘The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet.’ During the lengthy podcast, the panel of Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott, Ian Wright, and Roy Keane discussed the recent FIFA The Best gala results. While everyone agreed that they were a bit surprised to see Messi win the award, Wright said, “I think Erling Haaland deserved it. He deserves something for what he’s done.”

Wright claimed that everybody, be it Arsenal or Liverpool fans, loves Haaland. “If you really looked at what Haaland’s done, he easily should have won that but that’s just the way it is and that is something that they have to look at because he should not have to go through it; he’s thinking, ‘I should have won that,’ just like Lewandowski when he should have won it [in 2019].” The Arsenal icon further insisted that the voting should be in the hands of typical fans rather than the national coaches and captains. 

He even remarked that Messi wasn’t eager to clinch the award, as the Inter Miami star didn’t even bother to grace the gala in London, with both Haaland and Mbappe following suit. Either way, this is quite a bold claim from the former England international. Meanwhile, a USMNT legend claims Messi didn’t come to the award show because he was ’embarrassed.’

USMNT legend answers why Lionel Messi didn’t come to FIFA The Best ceremony

Janusz Michallik made a bold claim concerning Lionel Messi’s absence, claiming that Haaland’s hat-trick and 50 goals are not comparable to Messi’s 9 goals and triumph in the Leagues Cup in the US, which he dismissed as a ‘made-up tournament.‘ He said, “Messi probably knew he was embarrassed that he was gonna get that, even though he’s not doing anything.”

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Michallik insisted that Messi is currently in his off-season; ergo, no reason to snub the gala. Likewise, the USMNT legend remarked that, while Haaland might have had his frustrations, Mbappe made a personal excuse. To summarise, he claimed that all three finalists didn’t take the award much seriously, making it a bit of a ‘farce.’ 

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