The media considers Lionel Messi to be the leading prospect for the Golden Ball in 2023.

The winner of the 2023 Men’s Golden Ball will not be revealed until October.However, experts estimate that this title will be won by Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, the two stars that put in the most remarkable performances between August 1, 2022 and July 31, 2023.

A number of respected news outlets, like Goal and Sporting News, ranked Messi as having several advantages over Haaland to win his eighth Golden Ball.Sport Brief has highlighted five reasons why Messi is the clear favorite to win the Ballon d’Or this year.

Messi won the World Cup

The World Cup is regarded as the most prestigious football trophy.After a spectacular season with Argentina, Messi finally reached this summit at the end of last year.

Goal believes Messi’s performance at the 2022 World Cup will be sufficient to win the Ballon d’Or.Due to Norway’s failure in qualifying, Haaland did not even qualify for the tournament.

Messi shines brightly in the World Cup

Not only is Messi’s World Cup victory important, but so is his performance in this tournament.The Argentine superstar scored eight goals, was named best player in five of seven matches, and won the tournament.

Messi broke a total of ten World Cup records after the campaign, including being the player who played the most matches, contributed the most goals directly, and was the first player to score in every round.

Messi performs admirably in a club shirt

PSG had a disappointing season after being ousted early from the Champions League.Messi’s performance in the French national team jersey, on the other hand, is still admired.Messi scored 21 goals and assisted 20 times for PSG last season.

Messi made a significant role to PSG’s successful Ligue 1 title defense. Messi’s club stats last season were not up to Haaland’s, but they were nonetheless impressive for a 36-year-old athlete.

In the finals, Haaland played poorly

Haaland has had five consecutive finals, four of which have occurred in 2023. Haaland struggled in the Champions League while Man City contended with Inter for the throne.

Rodri scored the lone goal that allowed Man City to complete the treble.Rodri was later named the tournament’s best player.

The cohesion in the Man City squad

Coach Pep Guardiola has constructed a united, uniform Man City team that does not rely too heavily on any person after 7 years at the Etihad Stadium.With 52 goals for Manchester City last season, Haaland made a crucial impact.However, other teammates, particularly Kevin De Bruyne, are extremely important to the club’s success.

If Haaland is unavailable, another Man City player can step in.On the other hand, following a disappointing first match in the World Cup, Messi sparkled in all of the remaining games to lead his country to victory.”He single-handedly led Argentina to the gold cup,” Sport Brief wrote.