The 2023 Golden Ball race has been determined to be a fierce competition between Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi, the big advantage belongs to El Pulga who won the 2022 World Cup with the Argentina team last December. Although there are arguments about whether Erling Haaland also deserves this title, if based on the 3 new criteria, Messi still holds more advantages.
The Golden Ball is an achievement based on season, not year
In the past, the Golden Ball title was always based on individual achievements in a calendar year (from January to December of a year). However, with the new regulations, voting will be counted in one season (from August of the previous year to July of the following year). The 2022 World Cup has a special time to be held in the winter. The tournament will take place in November and December 2022, so Messi’s title is completely valid.
Although the collective award is also a dominant part in calculating the Golden Ball, in general, individual honors are still the deciding factor. Erling Haaland currently has more goals than Messi (52 goals compared to 38), but El Pulga has the advantage in the nature of the goal when opening fire in the World Cup final. Meanwhile, Haaland appeared quite lackluster in the Champions League final and did not score any goals. Even Messi is the best player at the 2022 World Cup and the best player in the 2022/23 Champions League is not Haaland but his teammate Rodri.
Normally, voting for the Golden Ball will be based on reputable journalists around the world, 30 players on the Golden Ball shortlist and 20 players on the Kopa list. However, France Football will now have additional selections from other experts. One of them includes Didier Drogba – who announced he would choose Lionel Messi for this race.
In general, based on the changes in the above selection criteria, Messi is the one who completely holds the advantage. It is difficult to avoid controversy, but the turning point may lie in the fact that the 2022 World Cup took place at an unprecedented time in history. If the most attractive tournament on the planet is still held in June as before, Messi will be in the nomination for the 2022 Golden Ball race with Benzema, not Haaland.