Should we still believe in the Ballon d'Or?

Virginie Phulpin 7:25 am, November 30, 2021

Lionel Messi is crowned Golden Ball 2021. The Argentinean received the award for the 7th time in his career yesterday.

A record obviously.

It becomes almost boring. 

What suspense! I bit my nails while waiting for the verdict. Who was going to be rewarded, was it going to be the start of a new era, a surprise? I try to act out the scene, to believe it a bit, but it sounds wrong. Lionel Messi Ballon d'Or is about as surprising as seeing blue in a monochrome by Yves Klein. Between the force of habit, the noises of the hallway and the glittering tuxedo of Messi's big nights, I think we really all understood that the Argentinian would be sacred once again. 7 Golden Balloons. It's dizzying, but it also trivializes the event. This Golden Ball is a kind of closed league between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Since 2008, only the Croatian Luka Modric has managed to find a place in the middle of the two giants in the prize list.

It was in 2018. He won the Champions League with Real Madrid and took Croatia to the World Cup final, it was hard to pretend he didn't exist.

But many other players broke their teeth on this Golden Ball, when they had dazzled the planet.

From Sneijder or Iniesta in 2010 to Frank Ribéry in 2013. Placed but never winners.

This Golden Ball is the preserve of Messi and Ronaldo.

As much to say it clearly, we will not pretend to wait.

7/5 for the Argentinian.

The Portuguese will not return to the score.

And that is perhaps all we learned last night, the final victory of Lionel Messi. 

Did he deserve to be sacred last night?

In fact, voters do not answer the question "who was the best player of the year?"

but "who is your favorite player?".

Let Messi be on the podium for service to the beauty of football, okay.

But winner?

It means that the name of Messi and the fantasies that go with it matter more than the performances.

If we look at this year 2021, Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League, and they finished 3rd in the Spanish league.

On the other hand, Argentina, led by Messi, won the Copa America, it's true.

True but a bit short for a Golden Ball.

In addition it was a clearing up before his debut with PSG, where we are far from flamboyance.

I don't even see how there can be a photo with Robert Lewandowski.

The Bayern Munich striker has scored 64 goals in 53 appearances this year, but he still wears his club and is breaking German legends' records all the time.

It is no offense to Lionel Messi to say that the Pole deserved it more than him.

What is the problem ?

Is her name too hard to pronounce?

Or is he not selling enough?

Messi Ballon d'Or, it's never a complete scandal, but it will not encourage him to put more spirit in PSG.

Whatever he does, he wins in the end.