Bernardo Silva was so good in his performance against Bournemouth that Pep Guardiola briefly thought he was watching Lionel Messi.
Man City boss Pep Guardiola opens up on Erling Haaland vs Lionel Messi battle for Ballon d'Or
20.10.2023 - 13:17 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Pep Guardiola remained impartial as he was asked to declare whether Erling Haaland or Lionel Messi should win this year's Ballon d'Or award.
Haaland scored 52 goals for Manchester City last season, firing them to the Premier League title, the FA Cup, and a first-ever Champions League to complete a brilliant treble. In most seasons, such a record would see Haaland be the overwhelming favourite for the Ballon d'Or, however, Messi's talismanic role in helping Argentina to the World Cup has seen him installed as the favourite.
With some reports suggesting Messi will pip Haaland to the award, Guardiola was asked to decide his personal winner between his current No.9 and the player who personified his incredible spell at Barcelona.
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Aware of the difficult choice he was given, Guardiola laughed and replied: "You are so funny. I always said that the Ballon d'Or had to be two sections: one for Messi and one for the others."
Discussing the debate in more detail, he accepted that Haaland's form should result in the award to decide the best player in the world - but also sent a reminder that Messi's quality will always see him perform at a higher level than any other player.
"Haaland should win. We won the treble because he scored 52 goals," he said. "But of course Messi if you tell me the worst season is the best for the rest of the players. Both deserve it.
"Egotistically I would say I want Erling because he helped us to achieve what we achieved. I would love it but I won't tell you it's unfair if Leo wins."
City have seven players up for the award with Haaland, Rodri, Kevin
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