“Already the year when he took it from Lewandowski we said nothing” – Ligue 1 defender claims Ballon d'Or is ‘rigged’ after Lionel Messi win

FC Nantes defender Jaouen Hadjam has claimed that the Ballon d'Or is rigged in favor of Lionel Messi after he pipped Erling Haaland to the award on Monday (October 30).

Many believed that it would be hard to look past the Norway international following his treble-winning season with Manchester City last year. He helped the Cityzens win the treble and claim their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy in club history.

However, Messi himself won the coveted FIFA World Cup for the first time in his career with Argentina last year. He bagged seven goals in the tournament and assisted three, managing to win the Golden Ball awarded to the competition's best player.

Speaking about this year's decision, Hadjam said (via le 10 sport):

"It’s false, it’s rigged. It's crazy. We have to stop... Already the year when he took it from Lewandowski we said nothing. Go ahead... No, it's crazy. It’s crazy."

The Ligue 1 star is referring to Messi's 2021 Ballon d'Or victory when several believed Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski to be the deserved winner. At the time, the Poland international managed a record-breaking 41 Bundesliga goals with Bayern Munich in the 2020/21 season.

Meanwhile, Messi enjoyed a fairly good season with Barcelona where he scored 38 goals and assists 14 across all competitions. Following this campaign, he decided to exit Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain.

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Didier Deschamps claims Lionel Messi is not best in the world after eighth Ballon d'Or win

Lionel Messi at 67th Ballon d'Or Ceremony (via Getty Images)

France head coach Deschamps has said that he would not place eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi ahead of arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.

The Argentine icon won his eighth Ballon d'Or title, putting him three ahead of Ronaldo. Meanwhile, Mbappe, 24, is yet to get his hands on the prestigious individual honor. Addressing the GOAT debate, Deschamps told ESPN (via Goal):

"The Argentinians [say that Lionel 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 Portuguese has achieved quite a bit in his career. Now aged 38, Ronaldo has won the UEFA Champions League five times, the Premier League thrice, La Liga and Serie A twice each, among other honors.

The former Manchester United star currently plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr where he's bagged 28 goals and 10 assists since joining in January 2023.

On the other hand, Mbappe represents Paris Saint-Germain and has already scored 10 goals from nine Ligue 1 appearances this campaign.