Ballon d'Or: Haaland breaks silence after he lost award to Lionel Messi

Manchester City hotshot Erling Haaland has broken his silence after he lost the Ballon d'Or award to Lionel Messi.

The Norwegian was among the frontrunners for the prestigious prize after an incredible debut season with City last term.

Haaland enjoyed a bright start to life with the Premier League giants in his first season with them, scoring an eyewatering 52 goals in 53 appearances across competitions.

His incredible goalscoring prowess helped the Cityzens secure a historic treble, which included the Champions League crown.

The youngster was subsequently nominated for the Ballon d'Or award, alongside 29 other nominees.

While many contended he was a favourite for the prize, Euro Sport reports that Haaland lost it to Messi during a glitzy ceremony hosted in Paris on Monday night.

Haaland breaks his silence

The Man City ace has now broken his social media silence hours after he missed out on the accolade.

The former Borussia Dortmund ace took to X to express his gratitude for winning the Gerd Müller award.

He also congratulated City for being named the best club of the year.

However, there was no mention of the Ballon d'Or, or its eventual winner, Messi.

"Grateful for the Gerd Müller award and congratulations to @ManCity for best club of the year," he posted.

"Thank you to all my teammates, the club staff and all fans for making it all possible," he added.