Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi are the two clearcut favourites to win the Ballon d’Or this year.

For some, the award should go to Messi for his World Cup heroics, for others Haaland is deserving of the award for winning the treble last season, coupled with his phenomenal goalscoring record.

Meanwhile, English pundit Craig Burley has claimed that Erling Haaland by far deserves to win the Ballon d’Or over Messi.

Speaking to ESPN, Burley said: “If Erling Haaland doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or, close the shop! Lionel Messi has won the World Cup and it’s a great achievement, but it’s a four-week period. His overall championship form wasn’t the best.

“PSG have been terrible, Erling Haaland… 50+ goals, a Premier League title, an FA Cup and the Champions League. Erling should win this award; I know a lot of people can’t leave the Messi train. But look at the big picture. This price is driving me nuts. I think there will be a bunch of emotional stories. ‘Messi has won the World Cup’, ‘Messi is this and Messi is that’ and they will give him another one.

“If I was Erling Haaland, I would never go back to a Ballon d’Or ceremony in my life if he didn’t win it this year, just like Robert Lewandowski.”