Erling Haaland was named the Best Men’s Player at the 2023 Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai on Friday.
Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 games for Manchester City last season, helping the club to glory in the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League.
Despite this remarkable achievement, Haaland lost out to Lionel Messi in the vote for both the Ballon d’Or and the Best FIFA Men’s Player award.
Messi was also among the nominees for Globe Soccer’s Best Men’s Player prize, although the Argentina captain did not attend Friday’s event.
The other nominees were Jude Bellingham, Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne, Kylian Mbappe, Victor Osimhen, Mohamed Salah, Bernardo Silva, and Vinicius Junior.
It was not confirmed who had placed second in the vote, but Haaland and Ronaldo were shown in split-screen mode moments before the winner was officially revealed.
Ronaldo appeared to know what was coming, as he was seen pointing at Haaland during the dramatic pause.