Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the last two decades. Since 2008, the two football titans have won 12 Golden Balls, with Messi winning seven and Ronaldo winning five. However, their success has also resulted in many heartbreaks for the other footballers. Many still believe that Wesley Sneijder should have won the Ballon d'Or ahead of the Argentine in 2010. The Dutchman won the Treble with Inter Milan and reached the World Cup final. Similarly, a similar storyline is repeated with Manchester City and Erling Haaland.

Haaland and Messi have been tipped as the frontrunners for the 2023 Ballon d'Or. Messi won his first World Cup with Argentina last year, whereas Haaland scored 52 goals for Manchester City as the English giants won the Treble. However, former Chelsea and Scotland midfielder Craig Burley believes Haaland should win the Ballon d'Or comfortably. He has given a particular suggestion to the Norwegian striker if he doesn't stand on the podium with the Golden Ball.

Speaking to ESPN, Burley said, “If Erling Haaland doesn't win this, close the shop. Lionel Messi won the World Cup, and it's a great achievement, but it's a four-week period. His general league form was not the best. PSG were terrible.”

“Erling Haaland? Over 50 goals [with Manchester City], a Premier League title, the FA Cup, and the Champions League. Erling Haaland should win this award. Many people can't get off the Messi bandwagon, but look at the bigger picture.

“There's going to be a lot of muppet journos voting for Messi. The big picture here is that Erling Haaland achieved everything over time.

“This award, like a few awards, drives me nuts, but he's the one that deserves it. I think out there, it will be full of sentimental claptrap – Messi won the World Cup, Messi's this and Messi's that, and they will hand him another one. And if I were Erling Haaland, I would never return to another Ballon d'Or like Robert Lewandowski.”