Erling Haaland, according to Pep Guardiola, was content simply to be in contention to win the Ballon d’Or, having been defeated by Lionel Messi for the prestigious award that recognizes the world’s best player.

On Monday, Messi was honored for the record-setting eighth time, following his leadership of Argentina to World Cup victory in Qatar the previous year.

With 52 goals, Haaland placed second as Manchester City won the treble consisting of the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup.

In France’s penalty shootout loss to Argentina, the 23-year-old Norwegian defeated Kylian Mbappe, who became the first man since Geoff Hurst in 1966 to record a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

Additionally, Haaland was awarded the Gerd Muller Trophy for the most goals scored during the 2022-23 season.

“I would say that I saw him so happy to be a contender, close to Messi and Mbappe and the rest of the players,” added Guardiola.

“Erling has his entire career ahead of him; therefore, he must maintain his winning ways and affirm, ‘Okay, I might be there next season.'”

“This has to be his target but he was really pleased to be there and he seemed really well when he came back.”

City players have frequently been deprived of individual recognition despite amassing numerous trophies throughout Guardiola’s tenure.

However, five of those players finished in the Ballon d’Or’s top ten, including Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, and Julian Alvarez, who all joined Haaland.

“Man City had a successful evening,” stated Guardiola. “Man City were there, present, and that’s so important for us because we were never there in the past.”

City executives and players were able to attend the glitzy ceremony in Paris in force, as the club’s early elimination from the League Cup granted them a rare midweek off.

Guardiola’s squad may place the majority of a week-long preparation period on Bournemouth when they visit the Etihad on Saturday.

A triumph would restore City to the Premier League lead, if only for a few hours, and would extend the club-record streak of 21 consecutive victories at home across all competitions.

“We love to play every three days but it’s nice to have a break and have one or two days off,” added Guardiola.

“The situation is as it is.” We remain uncomplaining even when we have a significant number of consecutive games or time off.”