Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson Moraes has said that Erling Haaland could win the Ballon d’Or, depending on what he achieves this season.
The Brazilian shotstopper made this claim in an interview with TNT Sports when breaking down the £51 million (Sky Sports) man’s chances of winning football’s ultimate individual award.
Ederson certainly believes that Erling Haaland stands a big chance of becoming the first-ever player to do so at Manchester City.
Ederson says Erling Haaland could win the Ballon d’Or
Wayne Rooney tipped the Norwegian striker for the award, while branding him as the ‘best footballer in the world.’
Many believe that the shootout for the accolade will happen between the 22-year-old and Lionel Messi, who pertinently carried Argentina on his back to win the World Cup in Qatar.
When quizzed about what it would take for Erling Haaland to be the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or, Ederson replied, “Winning the Champions League, yes, for sure.”
It’s safe to say that the five-time Premier League winner has a strong point as triumphing over Europe’s elite competition tends to be the deciding factor behind which player wins the award.
Erling Haaland deserves to win the award regardless
Much like how Cristiano Ronaldo famously beat Franck Ribery to the award and the same was the case with Lionel Messi edging Robert Lewandowski, an individual’s personal impact on a side should be the main criteria to decide who comes out on top.
Trophies matter and as Ederson said, Erling Haaland becomes an even stronger candidate to win the Ballon d’Or if Manchester City win the Champions League.
But regardless, Haaland has already won the Premier League and most importantly, no player is operating at his standards in world football.
The former Borussia Dortmund goalscorer is Europe’s leading goalscorer with 52 goals in all competitions, whilst breaking the Premier League record, which are feats alone that make him the worthiest to be handed the accolade.
