Former Norway international, Jan Aage Fjortoft has backed his countryman, Erling Haaland, to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
Fjortoft said this while replying to football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who recently tweeted that Messi is expected to win his eighth Ballon d’Or on 30 October when the ceremony takes place in Paris.
Replying to Romano on X, Fjortoft said: “Messi the Best EVER But the winner this season for me @ErlingHaaland… What more can you do??”
Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, where he also won the Golden Ball after scoring seven goals in the competition.
The former Barcelona captain also registered 21 goals and 20 assists for Paris Saint-Germain in 40 games last season, winning the league title before he later joined Inter Miami on a free transfer.
Haaland, meanwhile, did not participate in the World Cup as Norway failed to qualify for the tournament.
The Manchester City attacker did win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League with Pep Guardiola’s side.
