“Can never be a Ballon d’Or winner” - Fans mock Erling Haaland as alarming stat about him in big games come to light after FA Cup final loss

Fans took swipes at the Ballon d'Or potential of Manchester City star Erling Haaland after a shocking stat emerged following the FA Cup final on May 25. The Norwegian striker hasn't contributed a single goal or assist for City in any of his nine appearances in semi-finals and finals.

Manchester City fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of city rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday. The Red Devils showed great fight and quality to keep their rivals quiet while exposing their soft underbelly on the day.

The Cityzens struggled to create clear-cut openings at Wembley, with all of their attacking stars neutered, particularly striker Erling Haaland. The two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner featured for the entirety of the game but failed to find the net as his side surrendered to defeat.

Haaland came closest to scoring in the second half when a shot from inside the box struck the crossbar before bouncing away to safety. He attempted only two shots throughout the game and was generally ineffective for his side in the game.

Fans were unforgiving of his display, particularly after the facts of his failings in a City shirt came to light.

"This guy can never be a ballon d’Or winner"

There were more reactions from fans on X towards the striker's performance.

A fan revealed that they do not consider him to be one of the best footballers in the world, writing:

"I could never ever rank him among the best footballers in the world and never have. Among the best goalscorers yes, and on route to become the greatest goalscorer looking at his insane numbers. But never among the best footballers, these are two VERY different things."

Another fan mocked comparisons with Kylian Mbappe, tweeting:

"This is the guy you guys compared to Mbappe. Lmaooo"

One fan referred to him as a ghost in big games:

"GHOST OF THE BIG GAMES"

A fan referenced Haaland's four-goal performance against Luton Town:

"No Luton No Party"

Another fan pointed out that the striker was not a threat in the game, writing:

"Was never a threat"

One fan referred to him as overrated:

"Overrated 😂"

Another mocked him for his lack of big game contributions:

"Small game player"

Another fan referred to him as a tap-in merchant, tweeting:

"Tap in merchant 😭😭😭😂😂😂😂😂"

Erling Haaland failed to add to his 38 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions this season. He wasn't alone in his struggles, as the trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden all failed to impact the game despite featuring from the start.

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Erling Haaland ranked lowly ninth in Ballon d'Or power rankings

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is set to miss out on the Ballon d'Or for a second successive season since arriving at the club, according to Goal's rankings. The Norwegian striker was left in ninth place following an injury-hit season with the Cityzens.

Haaland finished the season with fewer goals and trophies than he did for Manchester City 12 months ago. He recorded 52 goals and nine assists in 53 games in the 2022-23 season but was placed behind Lionel Messi, who won his eighth Ballon d'Or. With 38 club goals this season and his country Norway set to miss out on the Euros, the striker is almost certain to miss out on the honor.

Teammates Phil Foden and Rodri, as well as the Real Madrid trio of Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, and Toni Kroos, are ranked higher than him. Harry Kane, Florian Wirtz, and Kylian Mbappe are also ranked as likelier than Erling Haaland to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or.