Paris Saint-Germain defender, Achraf Hakimi has said his team-mate Kylian Mbappe “deserves” to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or award ahead of Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland. Hakimi was speaking after their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Morocco international scored the second goal after Mbappe had converted from the spot to give PSG the lead. Speaking to beIN Sports France, Hakimi said: “Compared to what he did this last year, for me, he deserves to win the Ballon d’Or. “He’s a great player and I hope he can win it this year.”
Messi is currently the front-runner to land a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or after winning the World Cup in Qatar last year with Argentina. Haaland is also in the mix after scoring 56 goals in his debut season for Manchester City, who stormed to the treble.
Kwarteng Seth