Haaland Has Time To Win Ballon d'Or, Says Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Erling Haaland has plenty of time to win the Ballon d'Or and was pleased to see the young striker as a contender for the prestigious award, even though he narrowly missed out to Lionel Messi. Messi secured his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or after leading Argentina to World Cup victory in Qatar.

Erling Haaland, who had a remarkable season with 52 goals, helped Manchester City secure the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup treble. The 23-year-old Norwegian striker finished in second place, ahead of Kylian Mbappe.

Guardiola expressed his thoughts, saying, "I would say that I saw him so happy to be a contender, close to Messi and Mbappe and the rest of the players. Erling has all his career ahead of him, so he has to continue winning and say, 'OK, maybe next season I can be there.' This has to be his target, but he was really pleased to be there and he seemed really well when he came back."

While Manchester City players have often missed out on individual awards despite their collective success, this year saw five of them finish in the top 10 for the Ballon d'Or. Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Julian Alvarez, and Bernardo Silva were alongside Haaland.

Guardiola acknowledged the significance of their strong presence, stating, "It was a good night for Man City. Man City were there, present, and that's so important for us because we were never there in the past."

With a rare midweek off due to their early exit from the League Cup, City players and executives were able to attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris. Guardiola's side looks to maintain its momentum and extend a club-record 21 consecutive home wins in all competitions when they face Bournemouth on Saturday.

Guardiola commented on the break from the usual hectic schedule, saying, "We love to play every three days, but it's nice to have a break and have one or two days off. It is what it is. We don't complain when we have a lot of games in a row, and we don't complain when we have time off."

SportsLigue