Real Madrid might be better waiting for Erling Haaland than committing to Kylian Mbappe this summer

Well, he was a tad unfortunate in the sense that right in the middle of his record-breaking campaign, Lionel Messi dominated a World Cup like no other player since Diego Maradona.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, Haaland's representatives believe that there's more to it than that; in their opinion, their client would have won the 2023 Ballon d'Or had he been playing for Real Madrid, which is why they allegedly believe the centre-forward should move to Santiago Bernabeu if he wants to be recognised as the best player on the planet.

And that is unquestionably one of Haaland's objectives. He admitted as much in an interview with GQ Magazine last year. When asked if he cared about winning the Ballon d'Or, he replied, "I think everybody cares."

He's right, too. The Ballon d'Or has taken on a grossly inflated level of importance - particularly in the eyes of the younger generation - because of the very shrewd way in which France Football exploited the intense interest in the era-defining Messi-Ronaldo rivalry.

Consequently, the trophy is often used as a measure of greatness, even though players from outside Europe were ineligible until 1995, meaning Pele and Maradona never picked up the prize during their stellar careers.

It's all rather ridiculous - just like some of the results over the past 15 years. Wesley Sneijder and Frank Ribery, for example, were robbed in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

However, 'Team Haaland' - and plenty of other observers - would argue that those snubs came as no surprise, given that neither man was playing for Madrid at the time.

Barcelona have had as many Ballon d'Or winners as their great rivals (12 apiece), but that's mainly down to Messi (six of his eight triumphs came while he was at Camp Nou) - and it is Madrid who are considered the masters of manipulating the minds of voters.

Ferre even admitted to the EFE Agency, "Florentino Perez orchestrates the campaigns well. There are machines like Real Madrid that are very strong. Their intelligence is that they support a single player.

"For years it was Cristiano Ronaldo, then Karim Benzema. That prevents the votes from being dispersed. So, they know how this works. It's no coincidence if it's the club that has won it the most times."

So, it's entirely plausible that Haaland's entourage believe that a move to Madrid would, at the very least, aid his hopes of winning a first Ballon d'Or. We also already know that the City striker's agent is a massive fan of the Spanish side.

"They have something of their own that is also the dream for the players," Rafaela Pimenta told Financial Times Business of Football Summit last year. "Madrid keeps this magic going."

One wonders, then, if Perez might actually be better served waiting for Haaland than going all-in on Mbappe this summer.

Passing up the chance to sign the Paris Saint-Germain superstar on a free transfer at the end of the season obviously sounds like folly. He's the best player on the planet and he's long dreamed of donning the famous white strip himself. But it's not as if Madrid would be getting Mbappe for nothing. His team are seeking a colossal signing-on fee, on top of a gargantuan wage packet.

Then there's the fact that another wide forward - however great - shouldn't actually be the priority for Madrid right now; what they need more is a young, world-class striker capable of leading the line for years to come.

In that context, it wasn't at all surprising to hear reports a few weeks ago of 'an internal war' brewing at the Bernabeu over the signing of Mbappe, with some key figures at the club apparently feeling that Victor Osimhen would be the more suitable summer signing.

The Napoli No.9 is a class act and certain to leave the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this summer. Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis has already confirmed the Nigerian's imminent exit, and it's now only a question of which club activates Osimhen's €120 million (£100m/$130m) release clause. It's a massive sum of money, of course, but would make more sense than committing approximately €400m (£340m/$430m) to signing Mbappe.

If Haaland really is open to joining Madrid, though - and Pep Guardiola was even forced to address reports that the 23-year-old is unhappy in Manchester in a press conference on Friday - then Perez would be wise to bide his time.

Talk of Haaland being unsettled could, of course, be a classic case of mischief-making on the part of the Spanish press - maybe even an attempt to scare Mbappe into lowering his financial demands ever so slightly - and GOAL also understands that, contrary to other reports coming out of Madrid, there is no 'Real clause' in Haaland's contract at the Etihad, meaning he won't be available for a 'knockdown' price.

Still, if Perez is to sign another Galactico, Haaland would definitely be the smarter investment, given he's definitely the better fit from a tactical point of view. The dream, of course, would be to sign both, and place them alongside Vinicius Jr in an awesome attacking triumvirate that could actually surpass the achievements of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar at Barcelona.

However, while Madrid are renowned for the way in which they always seem to find the funds required to make seemingly impossible deals, adding Mbappe and Haaland to a wage bill that already contains Vinicius and Jude Bellingham would undoubtedly create Financial Fair Play (FFP) problems.

The suspicion remains, then, that Mbappe will make his belated move to the Bernabeu this summer while Haaland stays at City, where he has a contract until 2027 and is sure to win even more trophies under Pep Guardiola. Whether the Ballon d'Or will be one of them is very much open to debate, though.