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Lionel Messi said some seemingly kind words to Erling Haaland at the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony but here is why it could have been misinterpreted as disrespect.
On Monday, October 30, Lionel Messi was announced as the winner of the 2023 Ballon d'Or, clinching the most prestigious award in football for the eighth time in his storied career.
The 36-year-old Argentine pipped Manchester City star Erling Haaland to the award as the Norwegian striker had been a strong contender for his goalscoring exploits in a treble-winning season.
Messi then stepped up on the podium at the magnificent Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris to give his acceptance speech as is the norm but rather unusually wound up talking about Erling Haaland.
Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or acceptance speech
"Thanks to everyone, especially my teammates. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. This Ballon d'Or is a great gift for all of Argentina. I don't want to forget Haaland or Mbappé, who had a great year, spectacular, and in the coming years they will win this award," Messi said in his native language.
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He went on to thank his family and then wrapped up with a touching tribute to his late icon, Diego Maradona whose posthumous birthday was on the day of the award ceremony.
But the main source of controversy in Messi's acceptance speech was the mention of the other two guys on the podium, especially Erling Haaland.
On the surface, Messi was simply being the thoughtful guy he's always been by acknowledging the efforts of the two players he beat to the award.
In fact, the statement had the vibe of an OG (36-year-old Messi) giving advice and encouragement to the younger generation looking to walk his path.
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And while there is nothing wrong with that, one could argue the Ballon d'Or podium was neither the time nor the place.
Why Messi's comments to Haaland were disrespectful
Many people believe that Erling Haaland should have won the 2023 Ballon d'Or and his 52 goals in 53 games across all competitions for Manchester City in a treble-winning season make for a convincing argument.
Not to say Messi did not deserve it as he also had a strong claim to the award which he won but Haaland would have been well within his rights to feel hard done by.
Even though the big lad did not seem sad in the slightest when he stepped up to pick up his Gerd Muller Striker of the Year award, the ultimate Ballon d'Or kiss of death and consolation prize since 2021, he still would have preferred the main one.
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"Erling deserved it very much too, he has won [the] Premier League, [and] Champions League while being the top scorer of everything," Messi said speaking directly to Haaland.
Imagine how he would have felt sitting there hearing this: "This award could have been yours today too. I'm sure in the next years you will win it," from the very guy who stopped him from winning it in the first place.
It was most likely meant to be sweet and reassuring but it could easily be interpreted as disrespectful, condescending and a mild taunt. If you think this is a stretch or not even remotely possible, that is exactly how Robert Lewandowski took it in 2021.
Messi's consolation message in 2021
Just like number eight, Messi's seventh Ballon d'Or did not come easy as well with many believing Robert Lewandowski to be the frontrunner in 2021.
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The Polish striker would have been the consensus winner in 2020 having won a treble and broken every scoring record known to man (not literally) but France Football opted to not hold the awards altogether that year due to the effects of the pandemic instead of just giving Lewandowski his rightfully earned status as the best player in the world.
Lewandowski put that disappointment behind him and did it all again the very next season (minus the Champions League trophy), breaking the record for most goals scored in a German top-flight season with an astonishing 41 strikes to his name.
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So it is understandable that the man with a huge chip on his shoulder was not in the mood to hear a patronising message from the man who beat him to the award.
"Robert, you deserve your Ballon d'Or. Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner of this award,” Messi said. "Hopefully France Football will give you the 2020 Ballon d'Or. We all believe you deserved it and I hope you can have it at home," Messi said while holding the award he claimed Lewandowski deserves.
“I would like it [Messi's statement] to be a sincere and courteous statement from a great player and not just empty words,” was Lewandowski's immediate response.
The point is, if Messi's last consolation message did not go down well with Lewandowski, there is a chance it did not go down well with Haaland either and the Argentine maestro should probably drop the act when he inevitably steps up for Ballon d'Or number nine in the near future.
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