Lionel Messi has done it again. The golden boy of Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain has won the 2021 Ballon d’Or, the seventh time he has claimed the prestigious title awarded to the best footballer of the year.
Messi beat out the strong challenge of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, who likely would have won the award last year had it not been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the stars from the European championship teams were recognised, and Cristiano Ronaldo fired back at the recent controversy surrounding him.
Read on as SBOTOP neatly summarises all the important details you need to know about this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Messi’s most bittersweet Ballon d’Or
This is perhaps the most bittersweet of Messi’s record seven Ballons d’Or. While the year had the incredible high of him leading Argentina to the Copa America, his first major international title, it also had the low of him failing to lift Barcelona to any sort of success and eventually saw his departure from his beloved club.
34-year-old Messi has yet to light up Ligue 1 with PSG this season, but he still had a vintage year at age 33 at Barca. He scored 30 goals to win his record eighth Pichichi (awarded to La Liga’s leading scorer) and added nine assists.
It’s a testament to his brilliance throughout his career that 2021 will be considered one of his ‘down’ years despite the outstanding production.
But it was Messi’s achievements with Argentina that likely put him over the edge in the eyes of the voters. He had a brilliant Copa America, scoring four goals and delivering five assists, to lead Argentina to their first major trophy since 1993. It was also Messi’s much-awaited maiden international title, which finally got the monkey off his back after years of disappointment.
Messi’s sad departure from Barcelona will forever leave a bitter taste in his mouth, but the Ballon d’Or should add some sweetness to what was still a successful 2021.
Lewandowski misses out yet again
Unfortunately, Messi’s gain is Robert Lewandowski’s loss. The Bayern Munich and Poland star had to settle for second-best despite another phenomenal season which saw him score 40 goals to break the Bundesliga’s single-season goalscoring record that stood for nearly 50 years.
Lewandowski’s goals led Bayern to yet another league title – their ninth in a row – but they were unable to defend their Champions League crown, which likely saw his Ballon d’Or 2021 odds take a major hit.
With the cancellation of the Ballon d’Or in 2020 – which was clearly Lewandowski’s to lose – and losing out again in 2021, there is now a very real possibility that the Pole will never win the prestigious award in his illustrious career.
Lewandowski did not come away emptyhanded as he took home the new Striker of the Year award, which was announced only hours before the ceremony began. But still, it would be a shame if one of the premier strikers of his generation never ends up getting the award he so thoroughly deserves.
European champions recognised
Unsurprisingly, the success of the two European champions – Champions League winners Chelsea and Euro 2020 champions Italy – also saw some of their players lauded even though none rose to the individual brilliance of Messi or Lewandowski.
Midfielder Jorginho, who is part of both Chelsea and Jorginho, received some well-deserved recognition as he finished third in the voting. Meanwhile, Chelsea midfield mate N’Golo Kante finished fifth, one spot ahead of five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnaruma rounded out the top 10 and also won the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper. Meanwhile, the veteran central defensive partnership of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci finished 13th and 14th, respectively.
Ronaldo-Messi rivalry causes stir anew
The Ronaldo-Messi made Ballon d’Or 2021 news even before the ceremony, and it revolved around Ballon d’Or organiser and editor-in-chief of France Football Pascal Ferre’s controversial comments regarding Ronaldo.
Ferre told the New York Times last week that Ronaldo’s only career ambition was to win more awards than Messi.
“Ronaldo has only one ambition, and that is to retire with more Ballons d’Or than Messi,” Ferre said. “I know that because he has told me.”
Ronaldo strongly denied that statement and claimed Ferre was only using his name to promote his publication.
“Today’s outcome explains why Pascal Ferre’s statements last week, when he said that I confided in him that my only ambition was to finish my career with more Ballons d’Or than Lionel Messi,” Ronaldo wrote.
“Pascal Ferre lied, he used my name to promote himself and to promote the publication he works for.”
Ronaldo is now two Ballons d’Or behind after Messi’s win gave him a 7-5 edge. And with Ronaldo finishing outside the podium for the first time since 2010, it now seems highly unlikely he will retire with more Ballons d’Or than his old rival.
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