"Cry somewhere else" – Angel Di Maria mocks Germany legend over criticism about Lionel Messi winning 2023 Ballon d'Or award

Argentina and Benfica winger Angel Di Maria has mocked Germany legend Lothar Matthaus after the latter said that Lionel Messi was not the deserving 2023 Ballon d'Or award winner.

Messi, who is currently plying his trade for Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami, won his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 30. He finished ahead of second-placed Erling Haaland, and third-placed Kylian Mbappe in the vote.

In the aftermath of the award ceremony, Matthaus stated that Haaland deserved to win France Football's honor instead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner. He told Sky Sports Germany (h/t Football Italia):

"Haaland did better than Messi for the entire year. This award is not deserved and it proves that the World Cup counts more than everything. To me, nobody was better than Haaland. He was the best in the last 12 months. He won important titles with Manchester City, setting a record for goals. It was a farce."

Di Maria, who played a vital role in Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph, took to social media to respond to Matthaus' latest remarks. He commented on a Diario Ole post on Instagram, writing:

"Cry somewhere else 😂"

Messi, 36, guided Argentina to 2022 FIFA World Cup victory with seven goals and three assists in seven tournament appearances. He also contributed 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 games for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), helping his former team to lift the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title.

Haaland, on the other hand, scored a staggering 52 goals in 53 overall games for Manchester City in the last campaign. He also assisted nine times on his way to a famed treble in his debut season for the Cityzens.

Argentina star Lautaro Martinez makes bold Ballon d'Or award claim about Lionel Messi

Ahead of the 2023 Ballon d'Or gala. Argentina star Lautaro Martinez asserted that Lionel Messi would have lifted the award 15 times if not for Cristiano Ronaldo. He told ESPN (h/t GOAL):

"He had to share this era with Cristiano Ronaldo, otherwise he would have won the Ballon d'Or 15 times."

Both the aforementioned forwards have dominated the Ballon d'Or honor for over a decade. While the Argentine has won the award a record eight times, Al-Nassr star Ronaldo has lifted the trophy five times.

Interestingly, only two stars apart from the Inter Miami star and Al-Nassr hero have lifted the prestigious award since 2007. Luka Modric won the award in 2018, while Karim Benzema lifted it for the first time in 2022.