Last season was a record breaking one for the Norwegian as he scored 36 Premier League goals, the most by any player in a single season, whilst also playing a major part in his club's Treble winning campaign. 

With this huge amount of success in a debut season with a new team, many would have expected Haaland to be a favourite to win the prestigious award for the first time at the age of 23. 

However, he was instead beaten by one of the greatest to ever grace the game, Lionel Messi. 

While the Argentine maybe playing in the MLS with Inter Miami, he is still managing to perform on football's biggest stage and did exactly that at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where he successfully led his country to the trophy for the first time since 1986. 

No one is taking anything away from what Messi has achieved in this particular stage of his career, but former Premier League winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is confused as to why Haaland was not given the award for the individual accolades he received during the 2022/23 season. 

"I’m a massive fan of Messi, always have been, for me he is probably the best player in my time that I have seen play football," Wright-Phillips told DAZN courtesy of newbettingsites.uk. 

"But in terms of the Ballon D’or, I don’t understand how he won it.

"Winning the World Cup is probably the ultimate goal for an athlete at that level, but the Ballon D’or has never been based on that. From what I gather the Ballon D’or is based on all individual accolades.

"I don’t think there is anything more Haaland could have won as an individual player and not win the Ballon D’or, I was so confused."