Ballon d’Or: We’ll see – Scaloni gives verdict on player to win award

 

Argentina national team head coach, Lionel Scaloni has singled out Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi as the current frontrunner for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.

Messi is among the top contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina national team in Qatar.

The former Barcelona captain also recorded 10 goal contributions at the tournament, and he became the first footballer in history to score at least one goal in each of the four rounds of a single World Cup knockout stage.

However, Scaloni believes Messi, 35, should win the Ballon d’Or this year.

“We still have time to see the Ballon d’Or,” Scaloni said during the post-FIFA World Cup 2022 Coaches Forum.

“I’d definitely give it to [Lionel] Messi. We will see who gets it,” he added.

Messi is expected to be challenged by the likes of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Kevin de Bryune for the award.