Gary Lineker gives Erling Haaland theory after Alan Shearer's 'harsh' claim about Man City star
Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have discussed how and why Inter Miami star Lionel Messi was able to win the Ballon d'Or over Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian striker scored 52 goals across all competitions under Pep Guardiola last season, winning numerous awards for his efforts, including the Gerd Muller Trophy at the ceremony last week. He added the prestigious award to the Premier League Golden Boot, the European Golden Shoe, Premier League Player of the Season, Premier League Young Player of the Season and the FWA Men’s Footballer of the Year awards he'd already picked up.
Despite his record-breaking season though, he was still unable to beat the Argentinian international, who led his country to their third World Cup trophy in Qatar last winter. The star won the award for a record eighth time with Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe finishing third, while Haaland's City teammates Kevin de Bruyne and Rodri finished fourth and fifth.
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Manager Guardiola claimed that despite not winning the award, Haaland was still delighted to be surrounded by so many historic names and talents at the ceremony. He said: "I would say that I saw him so happy to be a contender close with Messi and Mbappe.
"It was a good night for Man City. Big congratulations to Leo Messi and Aitana Bonmati. It's so important for us because we have not been there many times. For the first time we were important being there.
"He has his whole career ahead of him and he can say 'okay, maybe next season'. He was really pleased to be there."
Now pundits and former England strikers Shearer and
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