The Lionel Messi vs Erling Haaland stats comparison is indeed a meaningful one.
Both players have been the two standout players in the 2022/23 season with their insane stats, records and achievements and football fans worldwide have had a split decision on who deserves to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.
Although Messi already won the 2023 Ballon d’Or award for the 8th time this article will give an in-depth analysis of the stats and performances from both players.
For reference sake, you could read the Lewandowski vs Messi stats comparison for the 2021 Ballon d’Or award and how Ballon d’Or points are being calculated.
What Is The Ballon d’Or Award?
The Ballon d’Or, also known as “The Golden Ball” is football’s most prestigious individual award given to the best player of the year for both male and female category. The ceremony is conducted annually by the French news magazine France Football with the first of its kind held in 1956 which was awarded to Stanley Matthews.
Fast forward to 2023 and the award is still very much valued and recognized around the globe this year, It is between Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.
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Haaland Stats and Achievements in the 2022/23 Season
Erling Haaland joined Manchester City in the summer of 2022 from Borussia Dortmund for £51.2m and immediately set himself in the limelight in the English Premier League.
The 22-year-old Norwegian striker broke 26 records in his debut season for Manchester City, arguably the best debut from a player in Europe. The young striker who was brought on to replace Sergio Aguero did so in fantastic fashion, scoring 36 league goals and 52 in all competitions.
Emerging as the top scorer in the Premier League, Champions League and in Europe as a whole this season, his goals were vital to secure three trophies for Manchester City in the 2022/23 season: The Premier League, Champions League and The FA Cup, otherwise known as The Treble.
It is also worthy of note to mention that he was Man City’s best player this season winning the EPL Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season, becoming the first player in EPL’s history to win both awards in a single season.
The table below shows a summary of his stat for Manchester City this season.
| Competitions | Matches Played | Goals | Rank | Personal Accolade Won | Team Titles Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 35 | 35 | 1st | POTY, Young Player POTY, Golden Boot | EPL Title |
| Champions League | 11 | 11 | 1st | Golden Boot | UCL Title |
| FA Cup | 4 | 4 | 4th | – | FA Cup |
| EFL Cup | 2 | 2 | – | – | – |
| Community Shield | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 53 | 52 | 1st | – | – |
Messi Stats And Records In the 2022/23 Season
Lionel Messi had one of his best seasons in 2022/23 which saw him finally lift the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
His stat and achievements with Argentina in the 2022 World Cup Qatar is a strong factor leading to his winning the Ballon d’Or award. However, his performance for Paris Saint Germain won’t be neglected.
Messi, who is more of a playmaker and creator on the pitch scored 16 Ligue 1 goals and provided 16 assists and 21 goals in all competitions, providing 20 assists.
His club stats for PSG is not as impressive as that of Haaland for Man City although played a crucial role in winning the Ligue 1 for PSG providing the most assists in the league.
Messi’s numbers for PSG might not be enough to secure his 8th Ballon d’Or but his stats and performances in the World Cup might just do the work for him.
Messi’s 2022 World Cup Stats
As we know, Haaland’s Norway did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup. So, in this section, we will only highlight Messi’s World Cup stats.
The 35-year-old Messi captained the Argentine national team to a huge World Cup triumph in December 2022 winning the Player of the Tournament in the same process.
Messi played all 690 minutes of Argentina’s World Cup campaign in Qatar scoring 7 goals and 3 assists – providing the most assists and just one goal behind the eventual top scorer, Mbappe.
The 35-year-old was absolutely crucial for Argentina in all aspects of the game. The table below details his statistics from the tournament
| Stat | Numbers | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes Played | 690 | 1st |
| Goals | 7 | 2nd |
| Assists | 3 | 1st |
| Shots | 32 | 1st |
| Key passes | 21 | 2nd |
| Dribbles | 34 | 3rd |
| Successful dribbles | 15 | 3rd |
| Fouls won | 22 | 1st |
Messi vs Haaland Stats Comparison in 2022 / 2023 For Ballon d’Or 2023 Race
With Norway absent from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Haaland doesn’t have any World Cup stat to back him up and that is why both club and country will be looked into.
However, Messi has already won a couple of prestigious awards this season which include:
- FIFA The Best Player of the Year
- Laureus Sportsman of the Year
With both honours secured, he could be on his way to winning his 8th Golden Ball.
We’ll now look at the stats of both players for club and country combined.
| Stats | Messi | Haaland |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 53 | 55 |
| Goals | 37 | 53 |
| Assists | 25 | 9 |
| Goals and assists | 62 | 62 |
| Individual Honors | 4 | 5 |
| Trophies | Ligue 1, FIFA World Cup | Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup |
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Conclusion
The Ballon d’Or award is so prestigious to all football players, and that’s why everybody wants to win it.
Looking at the stats and achievements of Messi vs Haaland above, one could say Haaland deserves it because of the goals he scored and trophies he won, another could say Messi deserves it because of his performance at the biggest football tournament in World Football.
It also shows Messi’s longevity in our beautiful game as he holds the record for most Ballon d’Ors won (8), at the age of 36. Haaland, on the other hand, has shown how much of a world-class striker he is at such a young age with a very bright football career ahead of him.
But Messi already won the award. However, out of these two, who do you think really deserved to win the award this year?
Messi deserves it for his performance in world cup
M’bappe 2018? Au final modric a obtenu.
I am Man City fan, but i think Messi deserve it
Messi deserve it for all competition
Messi deserve it
I think anyone who has the balls to say that Messi deserves the Ballon dor has the most autistic, down syndrome brain in the world. Haaland should win 🙂
FIFA have, unilaterally, DECIDED, for the entire world, that they will support Messi and give him EVERYTHING, regardless of his performance. It is a disgrace – they should be ashamed of themselves for this despicable attitude. They add insult by then going out into a world and executing on this discrimination against the other players outstripping him in almost EVERY department. Siss FIFA. You have lost all credibility.
Ballon d’Or isn’t tied to FIFA since 2016…
Ballon d Or to America