252 Bundesliga players have voted for the best attacker in world football, and it has come as a shock to see Lionel Messi's rank.The 36-year-old finally managed to get his hands on a World Cup trophy at the end of 2022, but his fall from grace may still have begun.Messi would have been right at the top of these lists, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, in previous years.The latter however, does not even appear on the list on this occasion.In a massive changing of the guard, it is the new stars of football that dominate the vote.Messi has recently secured a move to Inter Miami in the MLS, and his time is now coming towards an end due to his age.

Results of a 252-player vote in the Bundesliga has revealed the best attackers, goalkeepers and defenders, and Virgil van Dijk has finished lower than expected.Going back two or three years, and the Dutchman would be the undisputed choice as the best defender in the game.A serious ACL injury and a tough 2022-23 season have questioned that position, and many even feel he has fallen from grace.Perhaps not being helped out by his struggling Liverpool teammates, the 31-year-old would admit that he has been below his own standards in the past 12 months.The centre-back only ranks as the fourth-highest rated defender, in the opinions of the Bundesliga players, with only 6% of the vote.This data comes via Kicker.

Following the end of a sensational 2022/23 season, European football's top players have now done all they can to stake their claim for the 2023 Ballon d'Or.France Football have confirmed that the 30 nominees for this year's men's prize will be announced on September 6, with the winner being crowned at a star-studded ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on October 30.While the shortlist will be made up of 30 players, only a handful of stars have been consistently brilliant enough over the last 12 months to have a realistic shot at lifting the coveted award.However, among those highly unlikely to be in serious contention for the trophy is 2022 winner, Karim Benzema.The 35-year-old striker - who will join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad on July 1 - endured an injury-hit final season at Real Madrid and also missed out on France's World Cup campaign as a result of his fitness woes.While Benzema couldn't follow up his heroics from the 2021/22 season, plenty of other superstars have enjoyed career-defining moments this term.Many of those players represent Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, who swept away all before them to land a historic treble of trophies in 2022/23.2023 Ballon d'Or favourites ranked including Messi, Haaland & MbappeSo when the PopFoot Twitter account asked its followers to submit their top 10 nominations for the 2023 Ballon d'Or, it was not surprising to see a number of players from the Etihad Stadium ranked highly.As you can see in the tweet below, the voting worked on a sliding scale, with the number one ranked player on every ballot being awarded 20 points.The points awarded were then reduced by two for every position afterwards; i.e. 2nd place = 18 points, 3rd = 16 points, 4th = 14 points and so on.

A video has emerged of Erling Haaland being booed by his own supporters following Norway’s loss to Scotland in their European Championships qualifying match.The incident occurred after the match as the team were getting ready to depart the stadium.Manchester City’s talisman had opened the scoring for his country during the game, continuing his fine form which had seen him score 52 goals in a sky-blue shirt this season.He converted a penalty just beyond the hour mark after being brought down inside the box by Ryan Porteous, and Norway looked set to record an important victory.But two late goals from Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean ensured that Scotland made it three wins from three games in Group A.Steve Clarke’s side had previously beaten Spain and Cyprus in their first two matches.

Footage of Riyad Mahrez sending Erling Haaland for a hotdog during Manchester City training has emerged and it's absolutely hilarious. Man City have enjoyed a remarkable season so far, having already won the Premier League and the FA Cup. With a Champions League final to come against Inter Milan on June 10, Pep Guardiola's side have the chance to complete a historic treble. While a number of individuals have stood out over the course of the season, Haaland's impact has been the most noteworthy. Indeed, the Norwegian has scored 52 times in all competitions and his 36 Premier League goals is an all-time record.But despite his spectacular campaign, the striker proved he's still human with a moment to forget in training.

Fantasy football is a true national passion and the best way to flex some immense ball knowledge and settle feuds among your mates.That being said, sometimes it is a pretty straightforward game. For example, if you had simply captained Erling Haaland from game week 1, then you’d already be looking at a pretty healthy score given the outrageous scoring feats of the Norwegian.In fact, as it turns out, FPL is much easier if you just call it right from the beginning and don’t even bother making changes.

With the Premier League season drawing to a close, some attention turns to the end-of-year awards.Here at GIVEMESPORT, we have already given our 10 outstanding players of the season, but with the release of the Premier League shortlist today, fans now have a concrete idea about who could pick up the trophy on May 27th.Last season’s winner Kevin De Bruyne is back in the running, and six other individuals from five different clubs make up the final shortlist, all of whom have enjoyed stellar campaigns.

Jack Grealish faced shots from Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.The England international, who is enjoying a superb second season at the Etihad Stadium, went in goal during City’s latest training session.While De Bruyne took it reasonably easy against the winger, Haaland most definitely did not.City were gearing up for arguably their most important match of the season.Find a way past Real Madrid and they will enter this season’s Champions League as the overwhelming favourites. Inter Milan will face the winners in Istanbul on June 10, but the Serie A outfit are not quite the force they once were.

Jokes about Erling Haaland being a robot have been commonplace this season, but the man might have actually proven that he’s a machine after all.The Norwegian was on the receiving end of a tough double challenge against Real Madrid but managed to shake it off in a matter of moments.It was a quiet night for the 22-year-old in the Champions League, with the Manchester City striker being limited to just 21 touches throughout the 90 minutes.

It's official, the greatest goalscoring season in Premier League history belongs to Erling Braut Haaland.The Manchester City striker had already surpassed Mohamed Salah's previous record tally for goals in a 38-game season (32).Haaland bagged his 33rd in the division during City's 4-1 win over title rivals Arsenal.The Norwegian colossus then equalled the overall record of 34 goals - set by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer in 42-game seasons - against Fulham last Sunday, a match the Citizens won 2-1.So that paved the way for Haaland to claim the record outright in City's home fixture versus West Ham United on Wednesday.And in the second half, Haaland did what he always seems to do on a football pitch - score.City caught West Ham on the counter, with Jack Grealish putting his teammate through on goal with an inch-perfect pass.Haaland then proceeded to cooly dink the ball over Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, before whipping out his trademark 'meditate' celebration.Check out the record-breaking goal from perhaps the best footballer on the planet right now...