Erling Haaland should refuse the Ballon d’Or, according to former Scotland and Chelsea player Craig Burley, if he is not selected for the yearly prize.

The greatest discussion point following the release of France Football’s 30-man shortlist was Cristiano Ronaldo’s first omission in 20 years.

Contrary to his opponent, seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who is considered one of the favorites to win the award in October, was named to the shortlist.

The Argentine may have had a lackluster time at Paris Saint-Germain, but his World Cup success in December makes him one of the front-runners for the individual award.

Erling Haaland of Manchester City is another one of the hot favorites after having a stellar debut season with the Sky Blues.

The international for Norway broke a number of records while assisting his team in winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League treble.

Burley told ESPN that if Haaland doesn’t win, he should effectively skip the ceremony.

According to SportBible, he said: “Close the store if Erling Haaland doesn’t win this.

“Lionel Messi won the World Cup, which is a fantastic accomplishment, but it only lasted for four weeks. His overall league performance wasn’t great. PSG performed poorly.

A. Erling Haaland? Over 50 goals, winning the FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League. This honor ought to go to Erling Haaland. I am aware that many people cannot leave the Messi train, but consider the wider picture.

“Many muppet journalists are going to vote for Messi. Overall, Erling Haaland accomplished everything over a protracted period of time.

“This award, like a few awards, irritates me, but he’s the one who deserves it, but I think out there it will be full of sentimental claptrap – Messi won the World Cup, Messi’s this and Messi’s that, and they will just hand him another one,” the author said.

“And if I were Erling Haaland, like Robert Lewandowski, I would never go back to another Ballon d’Or in my life,” he continued.

On October 30, the yearly ceremony will be held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.