Did Haaland have what it took to win the Ballon d’Or? If he’s such a dude, where was he in the Champions League final, says Stanislav Hrabě

Erling Haaland was named the top scorer of the 2022/23 season at the gala in Paris. What does the only Czech journalist Stanislav Hrabě have to say?

He scored 56 goals in the 2022/23 season and helped Manchester City to a treble. It could be said that he delivered the necessary individual results needed to win the Ballon d’Or throughout the season.

However, he fell short of the coveted award. This is because it was primarily Lionel Messi who won the gold at the World Cup in Qatar for the eighth time in his career.

The star Argentine left just second Haaland and third Kylian Mbappé behind. And fans are asking. What more did the Norwegian national striker actually have to do, if anything, to win the Ballon d’Or? Stanislav Hrabě responded to this in an exclusive interview with Ruik.

“He scores goals, yes. They say that the Ballon d’Or will never be won by a goalkeeper because nobody cares. It can’t be won by a defender because he doesn’t score goals, so we are burdened by statistics.

“The World Cup still dominates the voting. Yes, in Haaland’s case it’s unfair. On the other hand, he shone on the continental stage, he wasn’t on the world stage for objective reasons. Unfortunately, it is more difficult for him with Norway,” said Stanislav Hrabě to Ruik.

Haaland unsurprisingly top scorer

If the Norwegian superstar didn’t win the Ballon d’Or, he at least won the Gerd Müller Trophy, the award for the top scorer of the 2022/23 edition.

Haaland scored a total of 56 goals in that competition, leaving behind, for example, Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane in the final standings.

That’s what the Golden Boot is for, it evaluates goals statistically. The goal scorer is the most important, I accept that, but how many times does someone else keep the team… And if he’s such a man, where was he when the Champions League final was on? Why did Rodri have to score? These are other very relevant questions,” Hrabě reacts to the individual statistics of the twenty-three-year-old Nora.

The fact remains that Haaland has been blamed by fans for his lack of top performances in key matches. Mr Hrabě cited the Champions League final as a prime example. In conclusion, however, it should be pointed out that it was Haaland whose goals took the Citizens to that final.

So, even if it didn’t work out this year, it is quite likely that the Leeds native will regularly duke it out with Mbappé and Bellingham for the win in future years.

Source: Ballon d’Or, Transfermarkt, Ruik