Messi collects his seventh Ballon D Or in Paris
The 2021 Golden Ball was awarded last night and the most prestigious individual football trophy went to Lionel Messi as expected. It is for the 7th time when the Argentine is the best football player in the world, a record that will hardly be matched.
Not everyone agrees though. Many see Robert Lewandowski as the most valuable footballer of the year. If France Football had not canceled the 2020 edition, Bayern's polish striker would have been number 1 then. In the context in which the trophy was not awarded last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic time, most expected the votes to take into account what happened in 2020, when Lewandowski was unstoppable.
Bayern's top player was a goal machine and started well this year too, last week's Dinamo Kiev fabulous goal was seen as the icing on the cake for a perfect end of year. However, Lewa finished second in the Ballon D’Or competition.
In the end, the Argentine said that Robert Lewandowski, the one who came out as best striker this year, deserved to win the supreme personal distinction in football in 2020, when France Football did not award the prize in the context of the pandemic. "I also want to mention Lewandowski, it was a real honor to compete with him. I think France Football should have given you the award in 2020, Robert, you deserved it! Everyone can say that! "said Messi.
The PSG star also commented: “It's incredible to be here again. I have to thank to my former colleagues from Barcelona, team mates from Paris, to the coaches, to the family, to everyone that supported me. I think I won this award because of the major trophy won with the national team, Copa America. It meant a lot to me. It's my first time winning the Golden Ball while playing here in Paris and it's a great honor for me.
I am very, very happy and I want to continue to fight for my goals. I don't know how many more years I will play, but I will enjoy football ".
Let’s have a look at Messi’s performance in numbers:
Lionel Messi in 2021: 54 matches, 41 goals, 17 assists, 111 shots on goal, 234 successful dribbles, 3,184 passes, 194 goal chances created. Winner and MVP (top scorer, most goal passes) Copa America. Top Scorer in LaLiga, part of the ideal UCL team, record of goals in the national teams of South America.
Leo also won the Golden Ball in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019. After this year's trophy, Messi became the only player to win the Golden Balloon in 3 decades!
The trophy was brought to him by his best friend and former colleague from Barcelona, Luis Suarez!
Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo has decided not to attend the Paris Golden Ball award ceremony. According to Daily Mirror, for the first time since 2007, the Portuguese star will not be among the top three in the final hierarchy of the trophy awarded by the French magazine France Football. Under these conditions and especially since the main favorite is his great rival Leo Messi, they made Ronaldo decide not to show up for the big event at the Theater du Chatelet.
The current year was not one in which a footballer had obtained special individual performances, but more with the teams in which he played for (club + national team). Jorginho is the only one who managed the double "Champions League - European Championship", but the Italian does not have enough notoriety to be voted.
As such, the subjectivism of those who express their options is decisive, hence the opinion of many that the Golden Ball had become a competition in which notoriety is more important than what happens on the field.
Messi had an exceptional first half of the season in Barcelona, when he simply pulled the team after him, bringing it to the title fight. In the end, the championship was won by Atletico Madrid, but at one point, when in the spring time, the Catalans seemed the main favorites, thanks to Messi's performances.
Then, in the summer, the Argentine made an essential contribution to winning his first major trophy with the national team, the Copa America. This competition was decisive for many in choosing the footballer of the year, in the context in which the former no. 10 of Barcelona had won with the first representative only an Olympic gold.
After receiving the Golden Balloon, Lionel Messi also had a surprise from the organizers of the ceremony hosted by "Theater du Chatelet".The Argentine was urged to press the "magic button", which triggered a play of magic lights on the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of the city where the ceremony took place.