Juventus midfielder, Adrien Rabiot has insisted Inter Miami's Lionel Messi doesn't deserve to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or award.
Instead, Rabiot named Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe as his favorites.
According to the Frenchman, not everyone will agree to his choice.
Messi, Haaland and Mbappe are among the top contenders for this year's Ballon d'Or.
Messi is deemed by many as the favorite to win his record eighth Ballon d'Or on 30 October after cementing his legacy by finally winning the FIFA World Cup with La Albiceleste but Rabiot believes Haaland or Mbappe are more deserving of winning the top prestigious individual award.
"Ballon d'Or? I hear a lot that it is Messi who is going to get it, but on a sporting level, it will be played between Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland," Rabiot told RMC Sport (via AlbicelesteTalk).
"Saying one of them would be complicated; it depends on what you base it on. Not everyone ever agrees, but I think it will be between these two."
Mbappe enjoyed an excellent past year at both club and international level for PSG and France as he scored 41 goals and registered 10 assists in 43 games across competitions, winning his sixth Ligue 1 title with the Parisians. He also won the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with eight goals in seven games.
Haaland, on the other hand, won Treble - Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League with Man City. The Norwegian also won the highest top scorer for both the Champions League and the Premier League.
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