“I don’t know” – Luis Enrique appears annoyed when asked about 2023 Ballon d’Or race involving Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Luis Enrique has distanced himself from 2023 Ballon d'Or talks.

The Spanish tactician was asked to pick between Kylian Mbappe, and the two reported front runners - Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland - in a press conference ahead of their Champions League clash against AC Milan.

Enrique was left annoyed at the question and did not name his pick for the Ballon d'Or. He first replied with:

"I don't know."

When pushed to pick one, he simply said:

"Nothing."

Lionel Messi is reported to have been told that he is the winner of the award this year. The Argentine is expected to be in France next week to collect the Ballon d'Or at a ceremony.

The FIFA World Cup winner will be returning to the country for the first time since leaving PSG in the summer.

Lionel Messi and Luis Enrique's relationship at Barcelona

Luis Enrique managed Lionel Messi at Barcelona and the two reportedly shared a tense relationship for a brief period. Marca previously reported that the manager left the club due to differences with his players.

Enrique spoke about Messi in an interview with Catalunya Radio, claiming there was a period of tension between the two. He added that the issue was resolved quickly, saying:

"Until the issue was resolved there was a period of tension. Which I was not looking for in any way, but which happened and needed to be managed. But today I can only say good things about Leo Messi. We had a spectacular relationship until the last day, when he decided to leave and we told him to stay, not to go, that we were doing well."

Lionel Messi also spoke about the issue and hinted that it was because he was benched for a match. He said (via GOAL):

"I came back from Argentina after the holidays and we played on January 2 or 3, I don't remember exactly, and I ended up going to the bench and we had a discussion that lasted a 'little bit'."

Despite their issue, Messi revealed that he requested Enrique to stay at the club when he had made his decision to leave.

The Argentine played 158 matches under Enrique, scoring 153 and assisting 76 goals. Messi only had better numbers under Pep Guardiola.