Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says there should be one Ballon d'Or for Lionel Messi and another for Erling Haaland this year.
Messi and Haaland are the two favourites for the individual award, which will be handed out by France Football on October 30th.
Haaland had a better season at club level, scoring 52 goals in all competitions as City won a historic treble last term, but Messi won the World Cup with Argentina at Qatar 2022.
“Always I said the Ballon d'Or should be in two sections,” Guardiola said on Friday. “One for Messi, then after [that] another one so Haaland should win, yes.
“We won the treble, he scored a million goals.”
But on the Argetine attacker, who won his first Ballon d'Or when the pair worked together at Barcelona between 2008 and 2012, he said: “The worst season for Messi is the best for the rest of the players.”
And he added: “Both deserve it. Realistically I want Haaland to have it cause he helped us achieve what we achieved, I would love it. But Messi won the World Cup.”
Messi has already won the Ballon d'Or seven times, while Haaland is seeking his first Golden Ball.
The ceremony will take place in Paris on October 30th.
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