Lionel Messi Shouldn't Get His Sixth Ballon d'Or
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers of all time. We know him and what he is capable of. His achievements speak for themselves.
But, as you know, he only won a La Liga title this 2019. A goddamn La Liga title when Real Madrid fell apart and Atletico Madrid fell short. Nothing could stop them from winning it except... themselves. You know, they started that season with shaky performances, some stupid starters decisions by their manager who apparently was (and still) a PE Teacher in disguise and their most expensive players turned into the most shameful players in the history of Futbol Club Barcelona.
And the following summer, at Copa America, with Argentina National Team, with the nation's burden put on his back, once again, he failed. I mean, he always failed in the international stage. But this time, it was even more disgrace when he got a red card at the 3rd place match and later called the tournament was fixed. Shameful. Disgraceful. Embarrassing.
And now, why the hell, he is the favorite winner of the 2019 Ballon d'Or?
If we recall, last year's winner is Luka Modric. Why he won the award? Apparently because with Real Madrid, he won UCL and with Croatia National Team, he got second place in the 2018 World Cup. Good achievements. Worthy as a winner.
Just a little reminder that this award winner is the guy who displays some solid football performances throughout the year. And what happened with Luka Modric after displaying his best after the World Cup? Fell from the top of the mountain, just like Real Madrid. And despite what happened in those moments, he still got his award.
So Luka Modric winning that award confirmed something. If you look at the previous winners since 2007, the winner is always the guy who won the Champions League. Two exceptions in 2012 and 2013. Messi won it in 2012 because he broke the record for goals in one year. And Ronaldo won it in 2013 because... I don't know, really...
Now, I know Lionel Messi scored bags of goals this year. But I'm not quite sure if it counts as a strong reference to winning the award. If he already banged 120 goals, Messi will win the award unanimously. But since he doesn't, so it isn't a strong reason to win it unanimously. Not even close.
But, there is a guy. He won the Champions League. He leads his team to glory for the first time since 2012. He turns the fate of his team. He also turns the fate of his national team. His performance redefines his position and he owns his style. And he proves that defense is still an essential thing to win something.
He is Virgil Van Dijk.
This guy won the Champions League. One of the matches was beating Lionel Messi. 4-0. Four nil, against Messi, against The Almighty Barcelona. Oh, without Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino who's an integral part of Liverpool's attack. Once again, Liverpool still managed to score 4 goals and keep Lionel Messi and the other bums scored a big fat zero goal.
In the English Premier League, Virgil and Liverpool only got second place. But the title race ain't over like four or five weeks before final fixtures. It went on toe-to-toe until the last day. There were two trophies prepared for both Liverpool and their nearest rival, Manchester City. Both won the final match yet City successfully defended their title by a margin of one point. That one point is enough to explain how tight the race was.
With the National Team, he alongside the young upcoming generation made Holland Football relevant again. After the previous Euro and World Cup misery, there're on the right track right now. Last summer, Holland was second at UEFA Nations League. Recently, they qualified for Euro 2020.
But, there is a guy. He won the Champions League. He leads his team to glory for the first time since 2012. He turns the fate of his team. He also turns the fate of his national team. His performance redefines his position and he owns his style. And he proves that defense is still an essential thing to win something.
He is Virgil Van Dijk.
This guy won the Champions League. One of the matches was beating Lionel Messi. 4-0. Four nil, against Messi, against The Almighty Barcelona. Oh, without Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino who's an integral part of Liverpool's attack. Once again, Liverpool still managed to score 4 goals and keep Lionel Messi and the other bums scored a big fat zero goal.
In the English Premier League, Virgil and Liverpool only got second place. But the title race ain't over like four or five weeks before final fixtures. It went on toe-to-toe until the last day. There were two trophies prepared for both Liverpool and their nearest rival, Manchester City. Both won the final match yet City successfully defended their title by a margin of one point. That one point is enough to explain how tight the race was.
With the National Team, he alongside the young upcoming generation made Holland Football relevant again. After the previous Euro and World Cup misery, there're on the right track right now. Last summer, Holland was second at UEFA Nations League. Recently, they qualified for Euro 2020.
So, how dare you choose the first guy over the second guy? The guy who did most everything in the club and national, yet he's only relevant to the club that competes with Eibar, RCD Mallorca, and Leganes on a weekly basis. Over the guy who did better with club and country?
If Lionel Messi indeed wins his sixth Ballon d'Or tonight, so be it. It is what it is. We must respect it.
At the end of the day if it happens, of course, I will congratulate the greatest footballer of all time but constantly failed on the international stage. I hope he still can pull the trick and magic from his feet when his Barca or Argentina teammate 'quit' or if Griezmann suddenly out of nowhere turns to Philippe Coutinho 2.0. I hope he doesn't lose hope if he gets another humiliating comeback, this time maybe against PSG and Neymar.
And honestly, I won't speak anything if Nicklas Bendtner wins this award.
If Lionel Messi indeed wins his sixth Ballon d'Or tonight, so be it. It is what it is. We must respect it.
At the end of the day if it happens, of course, I will congratulate the greatest footballer of all time but constantly failed on the international stage. I hope he still can pull the trick and magic from his feet when his Barca or Argentina teammate 'quit' or if Griezmann suddenly out of nowhere turns to Philippe Coutinho 2.0. I hope he doesn't lose hope if he gets another humiliating comeback, this time maybe against PSG and Neymar.
And honestly, I won't speak anything if Nicklas Bendtner wins this award.
Update: He got his seventh in 2021 with a similar situation. This award is (un)officially irrelevant now.
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