Dhe missed award for World Footballer of the Year once again caused great astonishment in Erling Haaland's home country of Norway. “How can Erling Haaland not be the best player in 2023?” asked former Bundesliga professional Jan Aage Fjörtoft on Prizes will be worthless in the end.” Manchester City's favorite striker Haaland narrowly lost the election to Argentine world champion Lionel Messi.
“I need to calm down a bit first. I'm surprised,” said Carl-Erik Torp, former professional footballer and current expert at the Norwegian television station NRK, in an initial reaction and shortly afterwards added: “I would say, this is a scandal!” Also football expert Lars Tjaernaas from the daily newspaper “Aftenposten” agreed: “Lionel Messi is the best player of all time. But he wasn’t the best player in 2023. That award should have gone to Erling Braut Haaland.”
Haaland and Messi were not present at the awards ceremony in London on Monday evening. After a foot injury, 23-year-old attacker Haaland is currently fighting for his comeback and wants to train with the Champions League winners from England. “He is getting better. He will be back soon,” said Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola in an interview with NRK. Haaland's father Alfie added on the same broadcaster: “Things are going much better, so he will be ready soon.” A return to play within a month is therefore conceivable.
The election, in which the Frenchman Kylian Mbappé was also in the final alongside Messi and Haaland (the Spaniard Aitana Bonmatí was named world footballer of the year), also caused critical reactions outside of Norway. Even in Messi's home country of Argentina, the press wrote of a “bizarre situation”. The reactions of the international media at a glance:
Great Britain:
“The Sun”: “What the Haal? Lionel Messi shocked many in London when he beat Erling Haaland at the awards.”
Daily Mirror: “Given the amazing years that both Haaland and Mbappé have had, it was not expected that the football icon (Messi) would take home the prize.”
Spain:
“Marca”: “A surreal announcement…and a bang: Messi is still “The Best”. The images from the television broadcast were strange. Neither Haaland, Mbappé nor Messi (the three finalists) were present in London.”
“As”: “Messi wins the most controversial “The Best” award of all time. Erling Haaland went into the award ceremony as the big favorite, but the king was once again Leo Messi.”
“Mundo Deportivo”: “Aitana Bonmatí and Leo Messi rule the world.”
Argentina:
La Nación: “Lionel Messi has begun to retire from major awards, but the football world still chooses him.”
“Clarín”: “The incredible vote that crowned Lionel Messi with the award “The Best.”
“Olé”: “Without a doubt, the price for Messi this time was not expected. He stayed in Miami because preparation has just begun and he is traveling to El Salvador with his new teammate Luis Suárez. From Miami he smiled in a bizarre situation: he won the “The Best” award after his coronation at the World Cup and without playing in a European league. A bonus prize.”
Norway:
“Aftenposten”: “A claim that is not particularly controversial: Lionel Messi is no longer one of the ten best soccer players in the world. But Erling Braut Haaland does. Haaland has been injured since the beginning of December and was not at the awards ceremony in London on Monday evening. He has to wait for another chance to be named the best footballer in the world. But that mainly depends on one thing: he has to go back to work soon. And to you, Messi: Sorry, but you don’t deserve exactly this prize.”
Italy:
“Gazzetta dello Sport”: “The best? Lionel Messi, of course. The legendary Argentine adds another award to his collection of trophies.”
“Corriere dello Sport”: “Another trophy for Lionel Messi, the current world champion with his Argentina team, who was named best player of 2023 at the Best Fifa Football Awards. The 36-year-old Inter Miami star repeated his victory last year by surprisingly beating Norwegian Erling Haaland and Frenchman Kylian Mbappé.”
Austria:
“Kurier”: “The election for World Footballer of the Year brought a surprising result. It was not the clearly favored Erling Haaland, but Lionel Messi who won the prestigious award in London on Monday. It is the eighth trophy for the record winner from Argentina, but the freestyle has a stale aftertaste.”
Switzerland:
“Blick”: “Messi’s honor is a surprise, as Erling Haaland was considered the favorite for the title. Especially because the 2022 World Cup was no longer taken into account.”
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