Lionel Messi winning his 8th Ballon d’Or created a debate among soccer fans. Many would have loved for a young star player like Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe to win the prestigious trophy. However, winning the World Cup in December proved to be the difference. Days after lifting another title, the Argentine predicted that both of them will have plenty of chances to win the prestigious trophy.

This clearly shows the high levels of competition between Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in terms of goals and trophies. It looks like the Messi vs Ronaldo debate is set to turn into Haaland vs Mbappe in the upcoming seasons.

Lionel Messi claims that Haaland and Mbappe will ‘constantly compete’ for the Ballon d’Or

Many soccer fans thought Erling Haaland deserved to win the award. Whereas, a number of them also rated Mbappe very highly. However, in the end, World Cup winner Lionel Messi did beat both of them to win the award. However, after getting the award, Lionel Messi had nothing but praise for both of them. He has also made a bright prediction for both the players.

On Haaland winning the Ballon d’Or, he said, “We must admit that Haaland had an amazing season. He scored many goals, won the Champions League, and achieved the treble with Manchester City. I’m sure he will be among the players who will constantly compete for the Ballon d’Or in the coming years. It wouldn’t surprise me if he wins it in the near future.”

The soccer veteran also had praises for Mbappe, he quoted, “It’s somewhat similar to Haaland’s season. He had a fantastic season, including the amazing World Cup, and almost denied us victory in the final with his goals. He’s among the players who can win the award every year because he is one of the best players in the world.” 

The statement from Lionel Messi clearly indicates that he believes Mbappe and Haaland will fearlessly compete for the Ballon d’Or in the coming years. Both of them are fighting neck-to-neck for the Ballon d’Or trophy.

Erling Haaland does have an upper hand on Kylian Mbappe in relation to trophies with the club. This is because Manchester City do pickup wins consistently in the second half of the season. This season too, they are likely to close the gap on the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham. While PSG is quite dominant in Ligue 1, the UEFA Champions League will be the ultimate competition that will make the difference.

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The Norwegian has 13 goals and Mbappe has 12 goals in this season already. Both of them are scoring for fun for their respective teams dominating weaker opposition week after week. So, it looks like the deciding thing for Ballon d’Or would be the trophies they win this season. So the big question is, who is likely to win the Ballon d’Or next year Haaland or Mbappe? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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