da dobrowin： The way is finally clear for the Paris Saint-Germain superstar to move to Santiago Bernabeu, but would Los Blancos be better served with a No.9?

da spicy bet： Back in October 2022, Pascal Ferre, the director of , was asked about the prospect of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe doing battle for the Ballon d'Or on a regular basis, in much the same way Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had for the preceding 14 years.

Ferre was quick to point out, "Neither of them has won the Champions League. At Mbappe's age, Messi already had two. If [Mbappe and Haaland] want to establish a similar rivalry, they have to start winning big trophies already. Messi and Ronaldo didn't take so long."

The thing is, though, Haaland won it all last year, scoring 52 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions as Manchester City won a treble. So, why didn't he win the Ballon d'Or?

Getty Images'Everybody cares' about the Ballon d'Or

Well, he was a tad unfortunate in the sense that right in the middle of his record-breaking campaign, Lionel Messi dominated a World Cup like no other player since Diego Maradona.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, Haaland's representatives believe that there's more to it than that; in their opinion, their client would have won the 2023 Ballon d'Or had he been playing for Real Madrid, which is why they allegedly believe the centre-forward should move to Santiago Bernabeu if he wants to be recognised as the best player on the planet.

And that is unquestionably one of Haaland's objectives. He admitted as much in an interview with last year. When asked if he cared about winning the Ballon d'Or, he replied, "I think everybody cares."

AdvertisementGettyInflated importance of the Ballon d'Or

He's right, too. The Ballon d'Or has taken on a grossly inflated level of importance – particularly in the eyes of the younger generation – because of the very shrewd way in which exploited the intense interest in the era-defining Messi-Ronaldo rivalry.

Consequently, the trophy is often used as a measure of greatness, even though players from outside Europe were ineligible until 1995, meaning Pele and Maradona never picked up the prize during their stellar careers.

It's all rather ridiculous – just like some of the results over the past 15 years. Wesley Sneijder and Frank Ribery, for example, were robbed in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

Getty Images'Perez orchestrates the campaigns well'

However, 'Team Haaland' – and plenty of other observers – would argue that those snubs came as no surprise, given that neither man was playing for Madrid at the time.

Barcelona have had as many Ballon d'Or winners as their great rivals (12 apiece), but that's mainly down to Messi (six of his eight triumphs came while he was at Camp Nou) – and it is Madrid who are considered the masters of manipulating the minds of voters.

Ferre even admitted to the EFE Agency, "Florentino Perez orchestrates the campaigns well. There are machines like Real Madrid that are very strong. Their intelligence is that they support a single player.

"For years it was Cristiano Ronaldo, then Karim Benzema. That prevents the votes from being dispersed. So, they know how this works. It's no coincidence if it's the club that has won it the most times."

So, it's entirely plausible that Haaland's entourage believe that a move to Madrid would, at the very least, aid his hopes of winning a first Ballon d'Or. We also already know that the City striker's agent is a massive fan of the Spanish side.

"They have something of their own that is also the dream for the players," Rafaela Pimenta told Financial Times Business of Football Summit last year. "Madrid keeps this magic going."

GettyDo Madrid need Mbappe?

One wonders, then, if Perez might actually be better served waiting for Haaland than going all-in on Mbappe this summer.

Passing up the chance to sign the Paris Saint-Germain superstar on a free transfer at the end of the season obviously sounds like folly. He's the best player on the planet and he's long dreamed of donning the famous white strip himself. But it's not as if Madrid would be getting Mbappe for nothing. His team are seeking a colossal signing-on fee, on top of a gargantuan wage packet.

Then there's the fact that another wide forward – however great – shouldn't actually be the priority for Madrid right now; what they need more is a young, world-class striker capable of leading the line for years to come.