Survey Shocker? Messi Unpopular Choice for Ballon d’Or Among the French

PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 29: Lionel Messi is awarded with his seventh Ballon D'Or award during the Ballon D'Or Ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet on November 29, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

The Ballon d’Or will be handed out on Monday, and the favorite to win the trophy is Lionel Messi. However, if the French had their way, the Argentine wouldn’t be the winner.

Le Parisien (h/t Paris Fans) relayed an Odoxa survey (for Winamax and RTL) on who should win the award. Since it was a French outlet doing the study, it is no surprise that many believe that Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé should lift the Ballon d’Or.

According to a survey by Odoxa for Winamax and RTL, almost half of French people (46%) consider the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner the top favorite for the individual title.

The Frenchman is ahead of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (19 percent) and his ex-PSG teammate Messi (12 percent) to win the Ballon d’Or survey. Nonetheless, it appears that the Argentine winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar sealed the award.

So, it will be interesting to see how the entire scenario plays out. The Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony takes place at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. 

Tags Ballon d'Or Erling Haaland Kylian Mbappé Lionel Messi
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