Inter Milan Icon Picks His 2023 Ballon d’Or Winner Between Messi and Haaland
- Javier Zanetti has backed Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d’Or this year
- Messi is up against Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe as top contenders for the 2023 award
- The winner of the 2023 Ballon d’Or award will be announced on October 30 in a ceremony in Paris
Javier Zanetti has backed Lionel Messi to beat Erling Haaland to the 2023 Ballon d’Or award despite the Manchester City forward winning a treble in his first season in England
Messi and Haaland are the top contenders for this year’s award owing to their brilliant performances in the year under review with Argentina and Manchester City, respectively.
According to Sportskeeda, Zanetti believes Messi winning the World Cup with Argentina supersedes the other achievements and puts him in pole position to win an eighth Ballon d’Or crown.
“I think Messi deserves it because he managed to fulfil his dream of winning the World Cup as an absolute protagonist. In my opinion, he’s been the best for several years.”
Messi led Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title, his country’s first since Diego Armando Maradona last won the title for La Albiceleste in 1986.
Di Maria adores playing with Messi
Meanwhile, Angel di Maria has revealed that playing alongside compatriot Lionel Messi has been the best thing that has happened in his glittering career, Daily Post reports.
The ex-Real Madrid star shared the pitch with Messi at the international level with Argentina, where they won the 2022 World Cup together and at Paris Saint-Germain.
While Messi will join MLS team Inter Miami when his contract with PSG expires at the end of this month, Di Maria is close to joining Benfica after leaving Juventus as a free agent this summer.
Messi gets special Ligue 1 award
Earlier, Starcoded reported Argentine captain, Lionel Messi, has been adjudged the best foreign player in Ligue 1 of the 2022/23 campaign.
The 36-year-old notched 16 league goals and provided 16 assists for Paris Saint-Germain in the French top division last term.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who won the 2022 World Cup midway through the season, aided the Parisians in winning the Ligue 1 title before signing with Major League Soccer side, Inter Miami.
