De Bruyne takes a hit at Messi in the Ballon d’Or race

Kevin de Bruyne has shown his support for team-mate Erling Haaland following the nominations for FIFA’s “The Best” award, which in most cases duplicate those for the Ballon d’Or.

The Belgium international was asked about who should win the Ballon d’Or this season: Leo Messi or Erling Haaland. De Bruyne replied that he would keep his fingers crossed for his Norwegian team-mate at Manchester City.

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When reminded that Lionel Messi won the World Cup with Argentina and this gives him the edge over Haaland, De Bruyne reminded the situation from 2010: “In 2010, Andres Iniesta became the world champion, scoring in the final, but still he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or.”

The journalist added that Leo Messi, who eventually took home the award in 2010, had scored more goals than Iniesta and that was the reason for the decision. De Bruyne had a logical response to this argument as well, stating “You’re absolutely right. That’s why this year belongs to Holland, who scored more goals than Messi.”