Despite his record-extending Ballon d'Or triumph on Monday, a certain manager has revealed he cannot bring himself to say that Lionel Messi is better than either Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappe.
While many around the footballing world believe the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner is the greatest player to have ever stepped on to a football field, France manager Didier Deschamps does not seem to share the same sentiment.
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Before the 2023 Golden Ball winner was officially announced on Monday night, Messi was considered by many to be the favourite to take home the highly acclaimed individual prize.
The Argentina captain collected his eighth Ballon d'Or after winning the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint Germain, accumulating 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 games, and famously winning the World Cup in Qatar with his national team last December.
However, while no other player in history has won the famous prize more times than the 36-year-old – Ronaldo is closest with five Golden Ball wins – Deschamps, whose Les Bleus side lost to Messi's Albiceleste in that World Cup final, has now revealed that he does not feel the Inter Miami superstar is better than the Portuguese icon or French striker Kylian Mbappe. who is yet to win the Ballon d'Or.
"The Argentinians [say that Messi is the best of all time]. He is one of them, but it is difficult to say that Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappe, who is younger," the France boss told Futbol Picante.
Meanwhile, the former Barcelona talisman said in his acceptance speech that the French forward and this year's runner-up Erling Haaland will eventually be recognised as the best players in world football.
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Some consider the Norwegian unlucky not to win the Golden Ball this year already after scoring a staggering 52 goals in 53 games for Manchester City as they trotted to a treble last season.
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