Erling Haaland, who lost out on the Ballon d’Or, has vowed to replicate his incredible Manchester City triple.
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The Norwegian forward was one of the 2023 contenders for the title following his 52 goals in his Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup-winning season as a rookie for Manchester City.
In the end, Haaland came in second behind Lionel Messi. Kylian Mbappe, the Argentine’s former teammate at Paris Saint-Germain, came in third. Haaland won the Gerd Muller award, which was a recognition for his amazing play during Man City’s treble-winning season, even though he did not win the Ballon d’Or.
Speaking after accepting the prize, he promised to work tirelessly to duplicate the historic accomplishments of the previous administration. “It’s an enormous honor to receive the Gerd Muller Trophy,” he declared.
“Without all of my teammates, I couldn’t have scored as many goals as I did last season, and this award serves as yet another reminder of the amazing year we all had together.”
The new season has already gotten off to the finest possible start for Haaland. The 23-year-old scored twice in the Manchester derby victory at Old Trafford over the weekend, giving him 13 goals in 15 appearances across all competitions.
This year’s winner, Messi, has endorsed him to someday win the Ballon d’Or. “This Ballon d’Or is a gift for all of Argentina,” he stated in a statement following the acceptance of his eighth prize. However, I don’t want to overlook Haaland or Mbappe, who had incredible years and will likely receive this award in the future.
“I’ve been fortunate to remain here for a long time; the level never drops. I would especially like to thank everyone who expressed happiness at Argentina’s victory as world champion.
Haaland will be looking to build on his recent success this Saturday when Man City hosts Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium. Prior to the last international break of the year, Guardiola’s team will play Chelsea before taking on Young Boys in the Champions League. City is now two points behind leaders Tottenham and in third place in the standings.