Haaland admits he can only win Ballon d'Or when 'best ever' Messi retires

Manchester City star Erling Haaland spoke at the pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg against Copenhagen and was asked by reporters what he thought of not winning the Ballon d'Or at last year's gala.
The Norwegian striker scored 52 goals in 53 competitive matches for the English side last season, which helped his team win the treble of Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League titles. However, Lionel Messi, who lifted the World Cup trophy with Argentina in 2022, won the top individual award.
"I've won it all but I'm only 23, so I want to win it all again. Messi is the best that has ever played, maybe he has to retire for someone else to be regarded as the best," he replied.
The 23-year-old was also asked about the big chance he missed against Manchester United on Sunday and said he still has "many more chances left to miss" in his career.
The Norwegian somehow managed to spoon the ball over the bar with the goal gaping from Phil Foden's header across goal when United still led through Marcus Rashford's stunning strike.
"I’ve missed a lot of chances. I will keep on missing chances and I will still score goals. I will miss chances in the future and people will criticise me. I will focus on scoring more goals and trying to score," he added.