Famous Ukrainian coach Oleg Fedorchuk commented on the presentation of the 2023 Ballon d'Or to Argentine Lionel Messi:
Oleg Fedorchuk"I have been surprised by this competition since childhood. For a long time, France Football did not involve specialists in the competition, and this led to the fact that the Ballon d'Or became a show. Slowly, the Ballon d'Or is turning into a mini-Hollywood. Everything there is based on stars. It doesn't matter what the name of the film is - Rocky 2 or Rocky 4 - the main thing is that Stallone is in it.
It's a similar situation here, Messi is the football Stallone. As long as he walks on the pitch, the Ballon d'Or will be handed to him. But Messi hasn't been the world's leading player for two or three years.
Who would I give the Ballon d'Or to? If I choose according to coaching criteria, it would definitely be Holland. If Erling and Messi are on the pitch one-on-one, the Norwegian will put the ball on his shoulders and run without noticing Leo.
If you choose by stardom and versatility, it's Mbappe. If you choose by the "wow!" effect, it's Bellingham - the 20-year-old does incredible things on the pitch.
Coming back to Holland, he has speed, a shot, he is good at tackling and heading. With this kind of selection, he can play defender as well. He is a phenomenal player who simply turns statistics upside down. And Messi has only dribbling and standards left. The Argentine doesn't just walk around the pitch, he wouldn't even pass a jog."
