26 October 2023 , 17:24
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Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has backed Lionel Messi to beat Erling Haaland to the Ballon d'Or - even if he could not hid his regret over France's loss in the World Cup final.
The Inter Miami forward is favourite to take home the coveted annual prize this year following his historic exploits at the tournament in Qatar. Messi became a world champion for the first time in his career, following a talismanic run of six goals on the way to lifting the famous gold trophy.
Although the iconic winger broke French hearts on the night, his former club teammate Henry has admitted that he must now be rewarded for his efforts. Tipping him to take home the Ballon d'Or at the ceremony in Paris on October 30, he was unequivocal in his backing of his old Barcelona colleague.
Speaking on CBS Sports, Henry was in no doubt about Messi's case this year, saying: "I mean a lot of people can debate that but for me if you win the World Cup, the way he did it, we can talk about what happened in the final. As a Frenchman, I was a little bit disappointed with how it finished but you can't say that it isn't deserved if he wins it."
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During an career-defining tournament, Messi rallied his teammates after a humiliating loss against Saudi Arabia in their opening game to go all the way to the final in Lushail. From there, Argentina and France played out a memorable final, as La Albiceleste edged a dramatic affair which had ended 3-3 in extra-time.
His two goals in the final formed part of what was a virtuoso performance on Messi's part and he would score the opening penalty for his team in the decisive shootout. He would also pick up the Golden Ball for his performances in Qatar, as he became the first Argentina captain to lead the team to glory since Diego Maradona.
He is not without stern competition to be named as the best player on the planet this year, with Manchester City's Haaland also a very strong candidate for the gong. Incredibly, the Norwegian striker scored 52 goals last season as the Cityzens completed a historic Treble.
Thierry Henry has given his backing to former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi to win the upcoming Ballon d'OrUnsurprisingly, the former Borussia Dortmund star is not without his own backers to beat Messi to the Ballon d'Or this year following a bumper year. Speaking on the Footballers' Footballer Podcast, Newcastle forward Callum Wilson warned that the City star's abilities should not be underestimated, saying: "What [Erling] Haaland did last season can't be overlooked.
"If you take away international football and compare statistically. Haaland should win the award. You can't look past Messi winning his first World Cup as it's a big contributing factor, but club football-wise he's been playing in America which is very different to Haaland in the Premier League."
The England international was joined by West Ham forward Michail Antonio, who put also his weight behind Haaland to win the individual honour. Antonio added: "I agree with Callum.
"I understand Messi winning the World Cup is massive, but you can't look past a treble-winning team and what Haaland bought to that, breaking records. He deserves that Ballon d'Or. If he doesn't get it then it's a scandal."