Johannesburg – The epic Ballon d’Or ceremony left passionate football fans with question marks, on who really deserved to be crowned the best male footballer of 2021, after Lionel Messi collected the seventh accolade on Monday.
Rated as one of the greatest of all time in the football history, Messi became the man of the moment to claim the men’s award at the held ceremony in Paris, France.
Messi had a turbulent year in 2020, setting clinical records, and none of his contenders came close to the edge.
Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski was heavily linked to scoop the converted prize this year, however, it was not meant to be.
Among football fans, there’s been speculation that Lewandowski has been robbed again this year as the men’s best silverware went to the Argentine.
Fans questioned the admittedly dubious, maths behind both men’s statistics last season.
Now let’s look at who really deserved the Ballon d’Or:
Lionel Messi
After clinching the 2020 Copa America with his national side, Argentina, this became a determining factor for the 34-year-old claiming the men’s Ballon d’Or prize.
It doesn’t all end with the national side, the multi-talented Messi made a significant impact to his former club, Barcelona where he guided his side to win the Copa del Rey before heading to the French club in August.
Messi retained the world’s greatest accolade he last won in 2019.
In prime of his notable achievements, Messi made history for claiming a track record of Ballon d’Or for consecutive times in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
The Argentine made history for surpassing the most illustrious names in football fraternity, and claiming the seventh accolade, Messi’s record is now equal with the Brazilian legend Pele, who’s mostly referred as ‘Pele Seven’ for winning the accolades for seventh time.
Messi’s statistics in 2021:
He netted over 41 goals, contributed 14 assists, claimed over 27 man of the match awards, hailed as the Copa America top scorer and player of the tournament, 2021 La Liga top goal scorer and held an entirely different standard.
Robert Lewandowski
The Poland forward came in the second place in the Ballon d’Or after only receiving 580 votes, while Messi gained over 613 votes.
The Polish footballer has been in sensational form over the past two years and would have been a strong favourite for the 2020 award had it not been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He scored over 41 goals in the Bundesliga last season in just 29 appearances to break Gerd Muller’s long-standing record of 40.
However, it was not an easy contest for the 33-year-old to overcome the Argentinian magician who claimed three vital trophies in 2020.
Giving his words of support to Messi, Lewandowski braved himself to accept the defeat and congratulated the undisputed star.
“To start, I would like to congratulate Lionel Messi, Ballon d’Or Winner,” he posted on his Instagram.
“I want to thank every single journalist who voted for me, and believed that my achievements were important in 2021.
“I won Striker Of The Year Award and no player can win an individual award without the strongest team and loyal fans behind him. And for me it’s no different,” he said.
Congratulations Leo Messi and @alexiaputellas winners of the #BallonDor2021, congratulations also to all nominated players!👏 I won Striker of the Year Award and no Player can win an individual award without strongest team and loyal fans behind him. Thank you for your support🤜🤛 pic.twitter.com/I6j4BtluYS
— Robert Lewandowski (@lewy_official) November 29, 2021
For the latest sports news from Sunday World, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here
