Unfortunately the award doesn’t necessarily go to the “best” player in the world that year. For instance I couldn’t say Modric was the best player in the globe in the year he won it. There are a number of factors that need to go your way for you to be considered. What I find strange though is that we had said Messi’s legacy is marred by his lack of an international trophy but now he’s done it, it doesn’t count anymore. Maybe we put too much emphasis on him not winning it that when he finally won it, we had hyped it so much that it became a deciding factor. In any case I had said whoever won it between Messi and Lewa would be fair considering that everyone had a significant comma in their achievements and I stand by it. If they had given it to Jorginho on the other hand, I would have called it unfair.
He means Xavi or Iniesta.
I think since Messi can't play in the euro's, the WC would always be his holy grail, especially since the expectations on him winning it was greater since he was already being compared with the goats back in 2011.
He's leading all but 2 of the stats on this list. Lewa was definitely robbed in 2020 there is no doubt he should have got it and it's a disgrace they cancelled it last year. Just for that and his last 12 months he would have also been a deserving winner.
I'm fascinated by the 'dribbles completed' stat. What's the definition of that?He's leading all but 2 of the stats on this list. Lewa was definitely robbed in 2020 there is no doubt he should have got it and it's a disgrace they cancelled it last year. Just for that and his last 12 months he would have also been a deserving winner.
or Ronaldo winning in 2013
Sneijder? Treble winner and the best player at the World Cup.
Ribery was no where near Ronaldo or Messi that year
Oh right - you are one of those people who forget that football is a team sport.
What did Barcelona do last year?
Wpn copa del rey, got knocked out by a better team in the cl, got 3rd in la liga.
???
This is a good way of stating that one of the two decided to become an Inzaghi style goalhanger. Well done sirFor me Messi Vs Ronaldo was always different to different fans due to their different views on Football, similar to how kids in school might decide different to each other what subject to study or be when he grows up.
To some fans, the technique of the football player is the most important thing in the sport, its the most beautiful thing. It's what they watch and base alot of their favourite moments and players over. This was Messi - the most beautiful player to play the game with both his goals and assists.
However, the way I saw it - just like an artists ability to create a wonderful piece of Art; the artist also needs the right surface to do so. The right bits, pieces or environment to do so.
Then there is Ronaldo. Who was technically gifted but not exactly an artist. He was not that interested in a career as an artist so he toned down his technical aspect to be more of a scientist. This is because he had a scientific theory that he wanted to see if true - that he was the best football player of all time & wanted to prove it by testing himself in front of everyone and everywhere.
Ronaldo was more the mentality or mindset of a scientist like Albert Einstein and its influence on the human body rather than the the artistic brilliance of Messi or Picasso.
As we saw Messi consistently making great pieces of art with the same board, same paint, same city, same helpers, same enemy with same weaknesses - some people fell in love. They couldn't believe they were seeing such art being created to such unbelievable consistency with feeling of such ease.
On the other hand in his labs, Ronaldo didn't care about the art, he was a scientist ready to prove a new hypothesis towards scientific based acceptance. He wanted to visit the best scientists in the world and prove that what he thought was right.
Leaving Sporting, he joins the Premier League - many who think it's the hardest league in the world with its varying styles of football (consisting of 19 tough teams you constantly face than only facing 2-5 teams in a league that may give you a tough day at their best). Ronaldo arrives and does it at Manchester United in 2008; arguably is part of the best United team version of all time that many have seen. He does it under arguably the best manager of all time with no particularly tactical playstyle; still some are starting now to believe.
He goes to Spain, a league using much more on the floor football and he adapts his game to that, becoming more simplified. League titles, CL's and goals with such a variety of managers with different playstyles from Benitez, Ancelotti, Jose, Zidane and more. Any manager, any time, any opposition, any tactic - this is starting to look scientific true. A wonderful bicycle kick Vs Juventus feel like it's their turn in Italy to get him.
He goes to Italy and wins the local titles and scores bucket loads of goals with ease with managers like Pirlo. Another group of scientists start to see what Ronaldo is about - even the oldest version. Then he comes back to the hardest league in the world and ends up still wowing the public with his findings - much more than the artist who changed his environment and changed his arts & craft pieces only for it not to be as great as before; whilst even being younger. The national team views Ronaldo as a legend for his achievements too, whilst Argentina have had more successful trophy winners.
Ronaldo simply was a scientist and not an artist - a scientist wanting, going and trying to prove to everyone and everywhere that he was the greatest footballer of all time. Its got data and its shown in different areas of the world, consistent over the world for any team, any manager, any tactic and for any person - just like Isaac Newtons apple falling down on his head ended up proving Gravity. SIUUUUU!
Well said, the narrative has caught on that Sneijder was completely robbed. For me, Xavi had an equal case to Sneijder, and Iniesta was up there too, which was reflected in a very close vote. It was 22% Messi, 17% Iniesta, 16% Xavi, 14% Sneijder. Take your pick from that 4 (although I think Iniesta had the weakest argument).
And are now flirting with mid-table status. Because having ‘walking’ Messi in your team makes no difference, clearly.
Imagine if you can the weeping, wailing, moaning and gnashing of teeth if Messi had been given a Ballon D’Or without a single team trophy to his name. And people have the cheek to talk about ‘robberies’
Yep, despite my disagreement with this year's award and I feel sorry Lewa didn't win it, Messi with two more Ballon d'Ors than Ronaldo is a fairer reflection of their careers. Ronaldo's 2013 Ballon d'Or was a bigger robbery than any of Messi's contentious ones.Imagine if you can the weeping, wailing, moaning and gnashing of teeth if Messi had been given a Ballon D’Or without a single team trophy to his name. And people have the cheek to talk about ‘robberies’
Further proof (if any more was needed) that in this generation, Messi is judged by different standards than every other player. Because he is the best player of the generation by a considerable margin.
Lewa was the clear favourite last year, of that there is no doubt. He would have been a deserving winner this year too, but he wasn’t ‘robbed’. I think a lot of the sentiment towards him stems from the fact that he didn’t get his rightful award last year.
Meh, Messi was much better than Sneijder if you ask me.
That has more to do with Barca's over reliance on one player, and their other overpaid stars not pulling their weight. As we've seen with PSG in the champions league, it makes no difference.
The Champions League has barely started.
Not disregarding him as a player, but football is about more than stats, its also about art and romance.
Cristiano has many great moments. He is not Messi, but he is a ridiculously talented player on his own. People will remember the ridiculous free kicks, headers, those goals against Porto and Juve, and his exploits as a young player performing those eye catching skills, which generally lures kids and casual fans. So he will be fine in history IMO.
I don’t know how many younger generations of fans who only start watching football like 5 years ago would feel. But I think for most United fans from mid-2000s, or Real Madrid fans from around early 2010s, who have actually watched him played over that period (2003-2013), all fell in love with his football instead.
Whilst this is true - people sometimes overlook the technical aspect of the play. Again, this is a player that played all the time for Barcelona - any player would look more technical playing in La Liga for Barcelona with that set up than playing for a dead version of Juventus right? Who is the most technical gifted player we even had at United?
He’s never actually won anything without a world class manager. Stop this overwrought hyperbole.
As someone who works with data every day, these posts are really so, so hard to read. Ronaldo the scientist.. jesus.
He was part of Porrtugals jammy euro win tbf. But yeah apart from that he's played for the best manager of all time, the greatest contempary managers and the biggest clubs in europe. I don't know where people get this idea that he's made his trade in Milwall or something.
Correct. People have memories like goldfish so they cannot remember how he was playing even a few months ago. If he’d had a fast start at PSG in terms of goals, then there would have been a lot less complaints. Which is silly, because that’s like 15-20% of the period that is voted on.
People are also upset because most of the caf switched to Ronaldo as the goat after he became our player again.
