PSG: Mbappé and the Golden Ball, Luis Enrique gets annoyed and kicks into touch

Who to win the 2023 Golden Ball? Three players stand out quite clearly in the predictions, the Argentine world champion Lionel Messi, the Champions League winner Erling Haaland and the French world vice-champion Kylian Mbappé. Verdict next Monday. In this type of case, the clubs of the contenders come together and campaign for their foal. “For me, he deserves the Golden Ball,” Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, for example, declared in recent weeks. What about Luis Enrique? The Parisian coach is not stingy with compliments about Mbappé, “without doubt the best player in the world”. However, he preferred to touch on the subject of the Golden Ball this Wednesday, at a press conference, on the eve of PSG-Milan (Wednesday, 9 p.m.) in the Champions League.

Visibly annoyed, the ex-Barça coach first huffed, took the time to think, before blurting out: “I don’t know.” Luis Enrique was apparently going to say a few more words, but he caught the opportunity when someone in the audience said “thank you” in Italian. “You’re welcome,” he replied, seeing it as a good opportunity to move on to another subject. Move along, nothing to see !

Note that Pep Guardiola spoke at greater length on this subject. In the Guardiola style. “I have always said that there should be two categories for the Ballon d'Or, one for Messi and then for another,” said Haaland's coach at City, and Messi's ex-coach at Barça. Haaland should win because we achieved the treble (C1, championship and FA Cup) and he scored 50 million goals (52 in 53 matches, Editor's note). But of course, Messi... Even the worst of the worst of Messi's worst season is the best for the other players. Both deserve it. What can I say… Selfishly, I would say Erling, because he helped us achieve what we achieved. I would love. But I wouldn't say it's unfair if Leo wins... He won the World Cup. But it's good that a lot of Manchester City players are here, for the first time in years, and that they are in the race for this kind of trophy. It makes us very proud as a club.”

Mbappé, 24, finished last season with 41 goals and 10 assists in 43 matches for PSG. With the Blues, he more than responded during the World Cup, finishing top scorer in Qatar (8 goals, 2 assists) after his vain hat-trick in the final (3-3 ap, 2-4 tab). Already Ballon d'Or seven times, including last year, Messi scored 21 goals and provided 21 assists in 41 matches, before guiding Argentina to the promised land (7 goals, 3 assists decisive). The two players obviously have the same club record, a French championship title won at the end of a catastrophic season at all levels.