Erling Haaland is currently one of the best players in the world, and he has a season to prove it. Last year, he scored an insane amount of goals, becoming the top scorer in all of Europe, and won a historic treble along with two more trophies this season.
Despite all of his achievements, the Norwegian was not awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, a prize reserved for the best, which went to Lionel Messi for his World Cup victory. However, he can find solace in winning another award instead.
What is Onze d’Or won by Erling Haaland?
Erling Haaland may not have won the Ballon d’Or award many felt he deserved, but he is the latest winner of the Onze d’Or award instead. After winning the IFFHS Best Player in the World award, an organization with whom Cristiano Ronaldo did not take kindly to, he has now won this fairly unknown award as well.
Onze d’Or is a French award as well and is given out by the French magazine Onze Mondial. It has a rich history as well, dating back to 1976, almost 50 years ago. Unlike the Ballon d’Or, which is worldwide, the Onze d’Or is exclusively European and only applicable to players who have played in a European league. It is also completely voted on by readers of the magazine, who vote on a number of players chosen by the magazine. It is also based on the performances of a player in a season instead of the calendar year.
Lionel Messi has won it a record four times, while players like Michel Platini, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Zinedine Zidane have all won it as well. Frenchman Karim Benzema won it the last two seasons, and Haaland is the newest winner of the award.
The award was presented to him in Manchester, and the striker said he won it because fans believed he deserved it, “I think it’s because I achieved something special throughout the season. People witnessed all of this and I think they appreciated it.”
“Some big names have won this magnificent trophy, I am of course aware of that. It is an honor to be included among these great names. I am very happy and very proud of this.”
When will Erling Haaland return to action?
Both Manchester City fans and manager Pep Guardiola are anxiously missing their star player Erling Haaland, who has been out for some time through injury. Already leading the Premier League top scorer list of the current season with 14 goals, Haaland has been out almost a month through a foot injury. He last featured in the 1-0 loss against Aston Villa on December 7, and has not trained with the team since.
But Guardiola revealed some good news recently, as the Norwegian recently rejoined training ahead of their next match. Guardiola recently said the player was feeling good though he didn’t pin an exact date for his return, “Erling is a little better, his bone so we need to be careful, he’s had two or three sessions and feels good. Hopefully he will be able to play soon but, I don’t know for Sunday or for Newcastle, but for the rest, they will be ready.”
Manchester City will face Huddersfield tomorrow in a FA Cup 3rd round fixture, though Erling Haaland may not feature in that match. Instead, he could face off in the next match against Newcastle United.