Lionel Messi might have earned his eighth Ballon d’Or trophy on Monday night, but both Erling Haaland and Manchester City were still big winners at this year’s awards ceremony, with the Blues winning Men’s Club of the Year and the Norwegian notched another personal accolade as well.
Not only were Man City handed the Men’s Club of the Year for the second season in a row at the 2023 Ballon d’Ors, but despite just missing out on the award for the best footballer in the world over the past year to World Cup winner Messi (well, obviously), their star striker didn’t go home empty-handed.
After his groundbreaking debut season in the Premier League, during which he broke seemingly every record under the sun, Haaland won the 2023 Gerd Muller Trophy — recognising the best goalscorer for club and country across a season — for his incredible 52 goals in all competitions.
Here’s the moment he added yet another piece of silverware to a trophy cabinet that it’s safe to say is already rapidly running out of room:
As for the Men’s Club of the Year award, it came as little surprise given their historic treble-winning season which saw them also break several records in the process.
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Joined on stage by goalkeeper Ederson, Champions League final goalscorer Rodri, defender Ruben Dias, midfielder maestro Bernardo Silva and emerging marksman Julian Alvarez — all of whom were included in this year’s list of nominees — City’s CEO Ferran Soriano accepted the award on behalf of the team.
Even in the categories in which they didn’t win, City’s excellence last season was recognised in the shortlisting, with both Haaland and Ederson just missing out on the Ballon d’Or and Yashin Trophies behind Messi and teammate Emiliano Martinez, respectively, and five players making into the top 10.
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This ceremony also comes just months after Pep Guardiola‘s ever-impressive side cleaned up at last season’s PFA Awards, with Haaland unsurprisingly winning Player’s Player of the Year and the City squad also dominating the 2022/23 Team of the Year.
With a Manchester derby win also still fresh under their belt, it’s obviously still a very good time to be a Blue and while this season might not have started flawlessly, you still wouldn’t bet against them lifting a sixth Premier League trophy under the Catalan coach.
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City face Bournemouth at home on Saturday, 4 November before their next Champions League game against Young Boys next Tuesday.
Featured Image — Manchester City/Ballon d’Or (via Twitter)
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Ex-Man United man Louis Saha says Old Trafford’s deterioration shows a ‘lack of respect’ for the fans
Danny Jones
Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has come to claim that the deterioration of Old Trafford is disrespectful to the fans.
The retired French forward, who represented the club 120 times and scored 42 goals during his time at the club between 2004-08, has come to the defence of the Man United faithful, insisting that the stadium is simply no longer up to the standard.
Speaking to Paddy Power earlier this week, the Red Devils old number nine said, “The state of Old Trafford shows a lack of respect to the supporters. They pay for tickets, create the atmosphere, and they need to have a better experience.
“The images of the roof leaking are ridiculous for those who are proud of the club, it’s unacceptable. It’s a bad sign that the investment has not been made in the right place at the right time.” In case you missed it, the Theatre of Dreams looked more like some kind of drowning nightmare after last week’s flooding.
“I’ve heard Gary Neville complain about it many times, and he’s been warning the club about it for a while”, Saha continued. “For it to get to that point, it was really embarrassing.
Flooding was just spotted in the stands but there were various reports and clips posted on social media showing interior leaks, including in the away dressing room.
The 45-year-old went on to say: “It’s symbolic, but it means a lot. For a fan that has paid so much for their membership and ticket, they haven’t been respected. It needs to be addressed – fans should not be seeing this.”
Fans have been complaining about various problems with Old Trafford‘s infrastructure for years now as despite being one of the most valuable football clubs in the world, Man United’s home ground and various other facilities are widely considered to be pretty outdated.
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already intimated that he would rather build an entirely new stadium than renovate Old Trafford, especially since it has been estimated that it would cost more to repair and redevelop the existing structure than it would start from scratch.
There have also been plenty of mock-ups as to what a ‘New Trafford’ might look like should the prospective plans be greenlit. Mayor Andy Burham has already been appointed as part of the new stadium ‘taskforce’ and says it could prove to be the biggest regeneration scheme in the country.
Be it giving the iconic football stadium some much-needed TLC or providing the fans with an entirely new one, it’s fair to say the club can’t expect to return to their glory days by allowing Old Trafford to continue deteriorating and letting its legacy slip into squalor.
Featured Images — Web Summit (via Flickr)/Wikimedia Commons/The Manc Group
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Man City confirm Ederson will miss rest of the season following fractured eye socket
Danny Jones
Manchester City have revealed that goalkeeper Ederson will miss the final two games of the season after suffering a fractured eye socket following a hefty collision earlier this week.
City’s second-choice keeper Stefan Ortega was forced to come on and produce some heroics against Tottenham on Tuesday night after Ederson was on the receiving end of a forceful challenge from centre-back Cristian Romero, ultimately being hooked off despite trying to play on for a few more minutes.
The Brazilian number one was left visibly upset by the decision, thrashing his seat on the bench and planting his head in his hands following the understandably cautious substitution, but it proved to be the right move the club has now confirmed a bone-break around his eye.
With manager Pep Guardiola having already to press after the game that Ederson has a “problem with his eye” and “could not see” properly, the club have now confirmed that he will now be out for the rest of the season.
As detailed in the update, scans revealed a “small fracture” of his right eye socket and being struck by the leg and hip of the Spurs defender.
It was clear that all was not well in the immediate aftermath of the two players clashing as the 30-year-old was left lying on the floor for some time and medical staff were rushed over.
Although concussion was ultimately ruled out and only the fracture has been confirmed, Ederson did go on to slip with his first kick of the ball and was seen shaking his head as if to shrug off the impact in the following moments.
He was also pictured with a very noticeable black eye following the full-time whistle.
This obviously means that in addition to missing Man City’s last Premier League game of the season against West Ham this weekend, where they might very well lift their fourth consecutive title, he will also miss the FA Cup final against Man United.
With it being just the second Manchester derby cup final in history, a second in a row as it happens, he, the team and the fans will obviously be gutted to be without their go-to shot-stopper.
Nevertheless, it’s a relief to see his safety being prioritised not only during the same on Tuesday night but in the days since and if there’s one thing it proved it’s that Ortega is more than capable of filling in for him when needed.
As any fan would following a scary injury like that, we join the club in wishing him a speedy recovery.