Pep Guardiola was initially in the mood to answer a question about the Ballon d’Or this Friday and refused to give his favorite between Lionel Messi, whom he coached at FC Barcelona, and Erling Haaland, who he currently teaches at Manchester City.
“Ha ha ha, you can funny…” Guardiola first said with irony and grinned. “The Ballon d’Or always had to have two sections. “One for Messi and one for everyone else,” He continued seriously. “So Haaland should win, yes. He won the treble and scored 50 million goals.”
Pep, little fan of individual differences, He reiterated his admiration for Messi, seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and with whom he won two Champions Leagues and three Leagues when he led Barça.
“Messi’s worst season will be the best for most others. They both deserve it, “So, what can I say?” Guardiola added about the rivalry between the Argentine and Haaland for the Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded on October 30 in Paris.
Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 games in his first season at Manchester City, including 12 in 11 games in the Champions League, which the English club won for the first time in its history.
Messi didn’t shine much with Paris Saint-Germain last season, but he won the World Cup in December 2022 and with Inter Miami he won the Leagues Cup. Both are among the thirty nominees to succeed Frenchman Karim Benzema, winner in 2022.
“Selfish, Haaland; but Messi will not be unfair”
“Selfishly, I would say that I want Erling (to win) because he helped us achieve what we achieved. I would love to, but I will not tell you, if Leo won, that it is unfair,” Guardiola said.
As City manager, Pep is satisfied Rodri, Julián Álvarez, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne also among the nominees, including Josko Guardiol, signed this summer from Leipzig, and Ilkay Gundoganthe former captain who went to Barça.
“It’s great that so many Manchester City players are there for the first time in a long time. It makes us feel proud of our institution,” he concluded.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
