This year's Ballon d'Or suspense is here, and the three most favored at the moment are Messi, Haaland and De Bruyne, and Haaland is the only one who is likely to prevent Messi from winning the award for the eighth time.
Messi has won a total of 7 Ballon d'Or, and he is also the most awarded in the history of the Ballon d'Or. He first won the award in 2009, then won the Golden Globe in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.
These 7 Ballon d'Or awards make Messi the player who has won the Ballon d'Or the most times in history, and his opponent Cristiano Ronaldo has only 6 times.
In 2022, Messi led Argentina to the World Cup in Qatar, where they defeated Kylian Mbappe's France in the final, and Messi was also named the best player in this tournament. In addition, Messi also won the Ligue 1 championship with Greater Paris, and these two titles are Messi's biggest capital to compete for the Ballon d'Or.
Look at Haaland, who set a new goal record with 36 goals in his first season in the Premier League, and Manchester City won the league title. Manchester City will also play the FA Cup final and Champions League final later, and if all goes well, Pep Guardiola's side could become England's treble after Manchester United. Once the treble is achieved, Haaland can really compete with Messi for the Ballon d'Or, but De Bruyne may disperse some of Haaland's tickets, plus Messi's World Cup title is considered more valuable, and in the end, Messi's win may be greater.