Speaking to RMC Sport ahead of France’s UEFA European Championship qualifier against the Netherlands, Adrien Rabiot (28) ruled Lionel Messi (36) out of the running for the Ballon d’Or, stating that international teammate Kylian Mbappé (24) and Erling Haaland (23) are the frontrunners to pick up the prize.
Messi is considered one of the frontrunners to succeed Karim Benzema as the winner of the highly-coveted Ballon d’Or.The former Paris Saint-Germain forward won the World Cup with Argentina in December, The trophy was the only one that had alluded him up to that point.
Mbappé and Haaland are both also considered frontrunners. The former is currently considered by many as the best player in the world. At international level, Mbappé scored a hat-trick in the World Cup, as France lost on penalties. He has since been named captain of Les Bleus. Haaland meanwhile had a record-breaking debut season in the Premier League and helped lead Manchester City to their first-ever UEFA Champions League.
For Rabiot, Mbappé and Haaland are the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded on 30th October. “I hear a lot of people saying Messi will win it. But on a sporting level, it will be between Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. Saying which one of those two will be difficult, depends what it’s based on. No one ever agrees, but it will be between those two. I exclude everyone else,” said Rabiot.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
