3 reasons why Real Madrid give Erling Haaland the best chance at the Ballon d’Or

Real Madrid have two transfer targets at the top of their wishlist for the summer 2022 market, and they are quite literally the most exciting players who could ever be bought. The first is Kylian Mbappe, who is virtually a slam dunk. Madrid has been his childhood dream, and he has refused all the money in the world from PSG in order to realize his dream.

But the second player is the more difficult catch for Madrid. Erling Haaland first burst onto the scene in the first half of the 2019-2020 season at RB Salzburg as a great Champions League scorer. A winter move to Borussia Dortmund yielded one of the best half-seasons we have seen from a Bundesliga striker in recent memory (not named Robert Lewandowski).

In less than two years, Haaland became a global superstar. He is a Galactico worth signing. But can Real Madrid convince him to join them instead of, say, Manchester City?

There are concerns that Haaland could feel overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe, and that working with Mbappe could prevent the Norwegian from getting the individual accolades needed to win a Ballon d’Or.

Here are three reasons why, contrary to this line of thinking, Los Blancos actually offer Haaland the best opportunity to win this individual award.

Real Madrid have a track record of Ballon d’Or winners

This may seem like a trivial, historic note, but it is extremely important and foundational to any decision to join a club. Real Madrid are the most-followed club in the world and have a pedigree like none other. If you want to reach the upper echelon of football, the best way to get there is to be a star for Real Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo racked up Ballons d’Or in Madrid, but he is not the only player who won this honor while a Madridista. Luka Modric was the winner, after all, in 2018. Alfredo Di Stefano, Raymond Kopa, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, and Fabio Cannavaro are the other five players who have won the award. Even a defender won it, such is the clout of Madrid!

No club has more different players win the Ballon d’Or than Real’s seven. And that does not even mention all the players who came close to winning one in Madrid, such as Emilio Butragueno, Ferenc Puskas, Davor Suker, Raul, Roberto Carlos, and Predrag Mijatovic.

So if Haaland wants to win a golden ball, there is no club with a richer history of leading players to the award than Los Merengues.