The Ballon d’Or ceremony, its petits fours, its competition for the most beautiful bow tie, its sometimes slightly embarrassing happenings… and Lionel Messi who leaves with the trophy under his arm at the end of the evening. Because yes, the Argentinian seems to be the lucky one again this year. For the eighth time in his career, he will go up on the stage, smiling shyly, under the tender gaze of Antonella and the children, to be presented with the 15 kg golden behemoth. A timeless classic.
The image will surely please a majority of enthusiasts, but on our side, we admit a certain weariness. Messi is a unique player, we agree, one of the best in history, maybe even the best, after all. But do we have to give him one last Ballon d’Or because he won the World Cup? He finally won the ultimate competition, and by scoring seven goals, he finished the game, and honestly the idea delighted us, once our disappointment as a soldier of the General’s France had passed.
The rest of the time ? Goals and (especially) assists with PSG, yes, but out of proportion to his Barça years, an elimination in the round of 16 of the Champions League and above all an influence well below expectations in the matches that counted. In this same team, Kylian Mbappé did much more, with his 41 goals including tax and greater consistency in excellence. Not to mention his monstrous World Cup, where he finished top scorer (8) thanks to his legendary hat-trick in the final.
Of course, he missed the most important thing at the end, but we must also remember that the voting criteria have changed. Since last year, it is “the individual performances and the decisive and impressive character of the contenders” which must be taken into account as a priority, ahead of “the accumulated track record” and “the class of the player”. “What is the most important thing? Burn the retina and be impactful? I think yes, I meet these criteria,” said the Kyks at the end of last season.
Haaland? “If he doesn’t get it, it’s a scandal”
From this point of view, we can also mention the Erling Haaland case. The Norwegian has the disadvantage of not having played in the World Cup, but he has scored 52 goals in 53 matches with Manchester City, including 12 in the Champions League, where he largely contributed to the first victory in the history of his club. Incidentally, we note that winning a Ballon d’Or thanks to inhuman stats to the detriment of a world champion has already been seen: it was in favor of… Messi, in 2010, winner ahead of the Spaniards Iniesta and Xavi.
In the Premier League, some have made their choice. West Ham striker Michail Antonio, for example. In the BBC podcast “The Footballer’s Football”, in which he participates every 15 days, the Jamaican couldn’t be clearer: “Messi won his first World Cup, it’s an important factor, but you don’t can’t ignore a team that achieved such a treble (C1-Premier League-Cup) and what Haaland brought to this team, breaking records. He deserves this Ballon d’Or. If he doesn’t get it, it’s a scandal. »
France (football) votes Messi
To support us in our thinking, we can always count on what is best in terms of moaning: us, the French. According to an Odoxa survey carried out for Winamax and RTL, published on Saturday, Messi only comes in third position (12%), behind Haaland (19%) and Mbappé (46%). And nothing to do with the fact that he’s from us, that’s a promise.
It’s not the same song when you probe the environment a little. Here are some responses to messages sent to various personalities from the world of football, players, coaches or consultants, to ask them if Messi deserved this Ballon d’Or. Just yes or no, with a short sentence of explanation (be careful there is a trap at the end):
- Florent Ogier, defender and captain of Clermont Foot: “Yes. Despite everything, his club stats remain exceptional with Paris. And then this World Cup won, largely thanks to him, would make it logical for him to be crowned. Overall, this year, no one else can claim to have it in their place. There were scorers, but players who were equally important for their club and for their country, no. »
- Jean-Marc Furlan, Caen coach: “Yes. Because he won the World Cup. »
- Kevin Diaz, former player, RMC consultant and sporting director of the Lusitanos: “Yes. Because he won the World Cup at the end of a legendary career. I wouldn’t have been against giving it to Haaland, but Messi doesn’t shock me. »
- [Bonus > Alex Vizorek, humoriste expert en seum : « Non. Ça intéresse qui le Ballon d’or ? Le simple fait qu’il n’y ait jamais eu de joueur belge lauréat discrédite totalement ce prix. »]
Well, not many people would be outraged if it was going to be good for him, we admit. Ultimately, it is Pep Guardiola who is right. The Catalan, who trained Messi at Barça for a long time before benefiting today from the Haaland goal machine at City, is well placed to referee the debate. His point of view ? “The Ballon d’Or should have two sections. One for Messi, and then we look for the others,” he said last week, smiling.
A bit of what we implicitly suggested two years ago, after seeing the seventh from the soft armchairs of the Théâtre du Châtelet. Or four years ago, when we announced the sixth. At least this time it should Really be the last. Unless we decide to implement an “MLS player” criterion. Us, in bad faith? Never.
And you what do you think ? Don’t hesitate to add your voice to our quick survey