According to French player Adrien Rabiot, the 2023 Golden Ball should be a race between Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
“I hear a lot about Messi winning the Golden Ball,” Rabiot answered when asked which player to support in this year’s prestigious individual title race, on October 10. “But in terms of sports, the race will be between Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Not everyone will agree with me, but I will rule out other players.”
Rabiot accompanied Messi (left) in the World Cup final on December 18, 2022. Photo: SF
Messi, Mbappe and Haaland are all on the list of candidates for the 2023 Golden Ball . According to bookmaker Bet365, Messi is currently the number one candidate with a 1/10 win rate (bet 10 to 1). Meanwhile, Haaland is ranked second with odds of 9/2, Rodri is ranked third with odds of 40/1, Kevin De Bruyne and Vinicius are ranked fourth with odds of 50/1, and Mbappe is ranked sixth with odds 66/1.
During the Golden Ball calculation period, Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, Ligue 1 with PSG and Leagues Cup with Inter Miami. The 36-year-old striker played a prominent role at the World Cup with seven goals and three assists, thereby winning the World Cup Golden Ball – the title given to the best player in the tournament – and the Silver Shoe.
Mbappe lost to Messi in the World Cup final. He also finished behind his seniors in the World Cup Golden Ball race, despite winning the Golden Shoe. At the club level, Mbappe was no more successful, only winning Ligue 1 with PSG.
According to Rabiot, France has had an “incredible” adventure. He was also happy with the team’s progress after the tournament. “We built the team based on the talent and impartiality of young players and the experience of older players,” Rabiot added. “France has quality at every level and we told ourselves to play well.”
Haaland did not attend the World Cup, but had great success with Man City Club. In the 2022-2023 season, the Norwegian striker scored 52 goals in 53 matches, winning the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. Haaland is also the player who scores the most goals in a Premier League season, with 36 goals.
Messi holds the record of winning seven Golden Balls, while Mbappe and Haaland have never won. Cristiano Ronaldo ranked second with five titles. Former players Marco Van Basten, Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini ranked third with three titles. The 2023 Golden Ball award ceremony will take place in Paris, France on October 30.
