Updated 10:30 4 Nov 2023 GMTPublished 10:26 4 Nov 2023 GMT

ONE country didn't vote for Lionel Messi or Erling Haaland in Ballon d'Or voting

Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland were both snubbed by the same country.

Nasir Jabbar

ONE country inexplicably didn't vote for Lionel Messi or Erling Haaland in the Ballon d'Or voting.

Messi beat Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or as he bagged the eighth award of his legendary career.

He gave a brilliant answer when he was asked about a ninth Ballon d'Or triumph, with Cristiano Ronaldo's sister taking a swipe at the 36-year-old's achievement.

Messi received 462 votes in the Ballon d'Or voting, 105 more points than the Manchester City forward, who registered 357 points.

The likes of England, Spain, Germany, Italy and Brazil voted for the Inter Miami superstar, but SIX countries failed to name him in their top five players.

As for Haaland, France, Norway, Switzerland, Greece and Japan, among other countries, voted him as their No.1 vote.

However, somehow, ONE country didn't vote for Messi or Haaland in their top five players.

Messi and Haaland went head-to-head for the Ballon d'Or award following their respective campaigns.

The Argentine inspired his national team to World Cup glory while the 23-year-old helped the Blues to a treble last season.

Image: Ballon d'Or

But CAMEROON failed to acknowledge their stunning seasons as they didn't vote for either player.

The African nation voted Kylian Mbappe as their No.1 vote before voting for Haaland's teammates Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Bernardo Silva not to mention Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, who starred at Inter Milan last season.

While Cameroon didn't appreciate Haaland's efforts, they did vote for three of his teammates.

Cameroon international Onana also got a vote after he steered Inter to the Champions League final last season.

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Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Ballon d'Or, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Football

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

@NasJabbar