A former Paris Saint-Germain player has labelled Lionel Messi's latest Ballon d'Or triumph "disgraceful" and claims the award has lost all credibility.
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On Monday night at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, the 36-year-old was called on stage to collect the individual accolade for a record-extending eighth time as he beat out the likes of Manchester City's Erling Haaland and PSG's Kylian Mbappe to the prize.
Messi's victory was largely based on his brilliant performances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, a tournament the South American giants won following a dramatic penalty shootout win over France in the final at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
Many believed Haaland would have been a worthy recipient of the award after he helped inspire the Citizens to a treble in his debut season in England, including ex-PSG midfielder Jerome Rothen, who did not hold back in his assessment of the Inter Miami superstar's recognition.
"It's disgraceful! Of course, it's disgraceful. As far as I'm concerned, it should have gone to Haaland," he said on his RMC Sport show called Rothen Catches Fire.
"From August 2022 to June 2023, what criteria lead us to say that Leo Messi is above the others? There's hardly any criterion where he's number one.
"If we look at his record, he's inferior to Haaland, even though he won the World Cup. Haaland won everything with Manchester City. And of course, you can't compare him with the World Cup, because Haaland is Norwegian.
"At PSG, Messi wasn't above the rest, he wasn't the best player at the club. It's problematic that a guy who's won the Ballon d'Or, who's supposed to be the best player in the world, isn't even the best player at his club.
"You have to stop being delirious! And over the last four years, he's won two Ballon d'Or awards. So for me, it's disgraceful. I'm hallucinating."
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Messi became the second-oldest player ever to win the Ballon d'Or on Monday, a record Sir Stanley Matthews still holds after claiming the award at 41 years old in 1956.
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