In the past year, Lionel Messi has effectively settled one of football’s most enduring debates. By securing the World Cup championship in Qatar, the Argentine superstar achieved something that his perennial rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, could never claim. As a result of this remarkable feat, Messi was awarded his eighth men’s Ballon d’Or trophy in Paris on Monday night, further solidifying his supremacy over Ronaldo in the realm of football’s most prestigious individual accolade.
By now, the consensus is overwhelmingly in favour of Messi as the greatest footballer of all time. For years, this debate had revolved around the eternal Messi vs. Ronaldo showdown. Although Ronaldo’s name wasn’t explicitly mentioned, the implication couldn’t be ignored when Messi was queried about whether he believed himself to be the best player of all time.
True to his usual diplomatic style and in line with his past comments on the Ballon d’Or, Messi chose to decline to answer this question during his post-award press conference.
“I don’t know if I’m the best,” Messi shared with L’Équipe. “I don’t ask myself the question and it doesn’t interest me. “The fact that they say that I am one of the best is already an honour. All children want to play football and try to be one of the best.”
Messi’s characteristically modest response followed his refusal to draw comparisons between his eighth Ballon d’Or victory and his earlier accolades. He emphasized that each award holds its own unique significance.
“Every Ballon d’Or is special,” he affirmed. “I have had immense successes at Barça but the rewards I have obtained thanks to Argentina are even greater. Winning the World Cup was crazy and I hope we win again the next edition.”
When asked if it was the pinnacle of his career, he added, “I don’t know but it’s different from the others. I was able to play in the best teams in the world, win the Champions League, the Copa America but the World Cup is really special.”
“It was the only thing I was missing, most importantly, I dreamed of it when I was a child. It’s so important in Argentina and I had this chance.”
With Messi’s move to Major League Soccer and Ronaldo’s current location in Saudi Arabia, it appears that their era of Ballon d’Or dominance has come to an end. This time, Messi narrowly defeated Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to claim the award. However, during his acceptance speech on stage, Messi foretold that the competition for this honour would intensify, involving emerging talents like Haaland and Mbappe.
He stated, “It’s going to be a nice fight between the two of them and between several other younger players around here. They both deserved it this year. Erling, this could have been yours and it would have felt perfect.”
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
ArgentinaThis season he played in total 6 times for 372 minutes for Major League Soccer.
Lionel Messi scored 1 goal for Inter Miami. He procured twice assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 14th in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami lost 1-0 against Charlotte.
Inter Miami performance and stats
Inter Miami
Inter Miami is currently 14th in the Major League Soccer with 34 points.
In the last 34 games, it has won 9 times, drawn 7 times, and lost 18 times. In its last match, Inter Miami lost 1-0 against Charlotte.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 41 goals and conceding 54.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
PortugalThis season he played in total 10 times for 896 minutes for Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 10 goals for Al Nassr. He procured 6 assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 2nd in Pro League. In the last match Al Nassr won 3-1 against Al Feiha. The next match in Pro League will be against Al Khaleej.
Al Nassr performance and stats
Al Nassr
Al Nassr is currently 2nd in the Pro League with 25 points.
In the last 11 games, it has won 8 times, drawn once, and lost twice. In its last match, Al Nassr won 1-3 against Al Feiha.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 31 goals and conceding 14.
Al Nassr will play the next match in Pro League against Al Khaleej on Tuesday 31st of October in Riyadh. The prediction is Al Nassr winning the match.
