01 November 2023 , 16:43
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Lionel Messi's latest Ballon d'Or triumph has been called "disgraceful" by Paris Saint-Germain legend Jerome Rothen.
Messi, 36, won his eighth Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in Paris on Monday night. The Argentina captain, who joined Inter Miami in July, was handed the prize after leading his country to glory in the World Cup and winning the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint Germain.
Messi held off competition from Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to take home the prize. Haaland was Messi's biggest rival for the gong after scoring 52 club goals last season to help Manchester City win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
Although Messi helped Argentina end their 36-year wait for a third world title, Rothen believes Haaland deserved the Ballon d'Or for his City exploits. He thinks Messi didn't achieve enough with PSG or Miami to claim the most prestigious individual prize in football.
Rothen ranted about the Ballon d'Or on his RMC Sport show called 'Rothen catches fire'. He said: "It's disgraceful! Of course it's disgraceful. As far as I'm concerned, it should have gone to Haaland. From August 2022 to June 2023, what criteria lead us to say that Leo Messi is above the others? There's hardly any criterion where he's number one.
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"If we look at his record, he's inferior to Haaland, even though he won the World Cup. Haaland won everything with Manchester City. And of course you can't compare him with the World Cup, because Haaland is Norwegian.
"At PSG, Messi wasn't above the rest, he wasn't the best player at the club. It's problematic that a guy who's won the Ballon d'Or, who's supposed to be the best player in the world, isn't even the best player at his club. You have to stop being delirious! And over the last four years, he's won two Ballon d'Or awards. So for me, it's disgraceful. I'm hallucinating."
Erling Haaland finished second in the Ballon d'Or vote (Getty Images)Do you agree with Jerome Rothen? Let us know in the comments below!
Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or victory is expected to be his last following his summer transfer to Miami, with Mbappe, Haaland and Jude Bellingham - who won the Kopa Trophy for best young player at Monday night - all in with a shout for next year's Ballon d'Or.
Haaland was honoured at the ceremony in Paris, as he received the Gerd Muller Trophy for best striker. Yet Rothen thinks Haaland should've bagged the main award. He added: "I'm told that this Ballon d'Or must be given credibility? But there's no credibility left!"
Messi praised Haaland and the other candidates after receiving his eighth Ballon d'Or. He said: "(I) want to share this with my international team-mates.
"Thank the entire group the coaching staff. Hats off to Kylian, Erling and Kevin too. You guys are very young and you have achieved so much already so plenty of time left. Delighted to be here to enjoy this one more time. To win the World Cup was to achieve my dream.
"I would like to mention my wife, who has been with me through thick and thin. I’d like to thank Diego (Maradona). I want to say happy birthday to Diego, it would have been his birthday today. It is always special to be recognised."