Messi… Haaland… Mbappé…? One of the three will take to the stage of the Chatelet Theater in Paris on Monday to receive the 2023 Ballon d’Or; the other two will applaud him from the front row. If Haaland or Mbappé win it, it will be the difference at the baptism; If Messi gets it, he will set a record that could last a hundred years: 8 trophies. EIGHT…! Crazy. It is very interesting: football is a collective sport in which the individual fascinates. We love the shooter, we are interested in who was the character on the field, we are always looking for a superhero. And the Ballon d’Or is the height of individuality, a title of lifetime nobility. One says “Ruud Gullit, Ballon d’Or 1987″, “Hristo Stoichkov, Ballon d’Or 1994″… They should almost put that on their business cards. Messi would need letter size cards.

The appointment creates as much expectation as the Champions League final. For this reason, he is a source of controversy, regardless of whether so-and-so deserves it or was given it as a gift, whether it is about sports justice or pure Marketing. First, a few clarifications are in order: the award does not reward a calendar year but a European season, in this case a footballer’s performance between 1 August 2022 and 31 July 2023. Who chooses…? There are two aspects: one, 180 journalists from around the world associated with France Football; second, digital voting in which Internet users from all over the planet can participate. What merits are taken into account…? This is what the regulations say: “The Ballon d’Or is awarded on the basis of three main criteria: 1. Individual performance and decisive and influential character. 2. Collective performances and achievements. 3. Class and fair play.”

The three candidates mostly meet the three conditions, although there are nuances, of course. Mbappé would be the first to dismiss: he scored 51 goals in that period (between PSG and the national team), but he won only one title: the champion of France, he was declared the best of the tournament. Reaching the final of the World Cup in Qatar and being the tournament’s top scorer adds luster to his record. One word defines his football: power. It’s a cheetah. Probably the physically strongest soccer player in history among the greats. It’s a combination of strength, speed and agility in equal parts. They are your tools to achieve your goal. If the long bar disappears, no one can match the line. He has no refined technique; in one against one he wins by speed, not by talent or guile; and many times, because of their own vertigo, promising plays are dirty or ruined. He is very strong in his head. He has the soul of number one and is preparing for it. He is learning, he has perfected his shot, especially from the right; adjusts it to the stick. He is already in charge of penalties and free kicks in PSG and the national team. This will help you with statistics. Its negatives: does not elaborate the game; He needs an assistant who will train him in depth (in PSG it was Messi; in France Griezmann). He doesn’t pass the ball well, we would say surprisingly bad more than once. He will surely reach the podium, but not the crown. He is respected, Kylian, but he is not an idol. That’s not funny. It works against him.

In his first season in England, Erling Haaland showed that he is a fierce Viking: not only did he win the triple title (Premier League, English Cup and Champions League), he also scored 56 goals. And at the age of 22. Bestial…! He gets to the net in different ways: by running, heading, rebounding, counter-attacking with space, staying in space, flying through the air, like the extraordinary goal he scored against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. He is a naked savage. At first one thought of a big man parked in the penalty area: nothing to see. It has a lot of mobility; it starts from the back; When he leaves the field, he participates in the collective circle of the team and knows how to play, delivers the ball well and hits it accurately. He’s 1.94 and has a body that allows him to take on defenders, even knock them over. But the most important thing about him, along with his goal-scoring instinct, is not his strength but his position: he is always where the ball lands. It’s instinct. And define with the manual. He has an infectious enthusiasm. Of course, this is a model that does not come from the factory with skill or feint, dribbling or hooking. It is strength, mental and physical.

And Messi… His achievement is the French championship title – like Mbappé – in which he was chosen as the best foreign player. And the World Cup, no less. The latter is uneven and sinks in weight. Champion and star of Qatar 2022, where he scored seven goals and registered three assists. And, as a bonus, he revolutionized soccer in the United States. He signed for the worst team and turned it into a world reference. He is the king of passes and goals. Create, lead, help and convert. All smeared with virtuosity. Leo scored 39 goals in the Ballon d’Or period, less than Haaland and Mbappé, but doubled them in assists. Likewise, with Messi, a goal is just another cliché. And there’s the game, right…? Miles are needed at this point, for the two of them and the rest of the guild. He is a Picasso who paints two Guernicas a week.

In general, to analyze the possibilities in these awards, goals and achievements are listed, not games, which is the main item. How to explain…? If Italy won the World Cup in 2026, they would equal Brazil: they would have five crowns each. What will we say in that case, that they are equal because they both have five world championships…? No, Brazilian football has historically been infinitely more than Italian football. He had dozens of pelota geniuses against occasional falls from Italy (Roberto Baggio…?), held pelota festivals, he is excellence, class, magic. That’s how Messi is compared to all other football players. Haaland and Mbappé will never carry the ball like Leo or make his wonderful passes or have his vision; He will never be able to make Messi’s overflow against Guardiola, from Croatia, nor the assist for Molina’s goal against the Netherlands, nor his delicious goals from free kicks. Nobody plays like him. And then there is its impressive regularity. He is the only footballer to have won the Ballon d’Or in three different decades. On Monday, October 16, he turned 19 in the First League (nineteen…!). He scored two great goals against Peru on Tuesday. The rest are shooters, not geniuses. There are Haalands and Mbappés, maybe Vinícius and De Bruynes, not Messis.

Now, in the wisdom phase, Leo has had a dream season, delivering delicacies, geniuses, one-of-a-kind pieces for a football anthology. Colleagues recognize him; He is the idol of all players. In the digital elections, the public gave their verdict: 47.9% for Leo, and the remaining 52.1% for the other twenty-nine on the list. Because of this and because of the general perception, it was never so clear: he should win his eighth prize. Which could have been ten or twelve. “If the Ballon d’Or really was for the best player, Messi would win it every year,” mused Gary Lineker.

Ronaldo Nazario, Michael Owen, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, Ronald Araujo, Martin Odegaard and the general atmosphere spoke in favor of ’10’. Except for the Real Madrid fans, who are angry (they are always angry if a Real Madrid fan doesn’t wait).

Calm down: when Messi retires, the Ballon d’Or will be more democratic. Word. (OR)