Erling Haaland believes Lionel Messi is the best who has ever played football.

The Manchester City star was discussing the Argentine superstar in an interview ahead of the Champions League clash with Copenhagen, live on talkSPORT, when he was quizzed on his hopes of winning the Ballon d'Or.

Haaland missed out on football's top prize in 2023 as Messi scooped his eighth Ballon d'Or, beating Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to the crown.

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated football for many years, however, it's thought that Haaland and Mbappe could be the next pair to battle it out as football's top star.

Haaland's debut season with City saw him score 52 goals in 53 games while winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Club World Cup in 2023.

But with Messi's World Cup victory with Argentina in December 2022, Haaland's achievements still weren't enough to win the top prize.