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At the end of the day it's all a meaningless and arbitrary exercise, but it should come down to a balance between individual brilliance and the team achievement that gives context to that brilliance. If it were purely for team achievements then Jorginho would have won it this year.
Also to say he wasn't great in the copa america is ludicrous. He carried them to the trophy.
Not really. Even this award is undeserved, but they gave it to him just because it's Messi. The GOAT fraud, sure.
Nah he absolutely has been. Utter goal machine, breaking an unbreakable domestic goal scoring record and winning practically everything possible.
Jorginho was an NPC on the field. He deserved it as much as a random generated villager deserves a win when I finish a quest on a town with the Witcher.
Top scorer, most assists, best player of the championship... no brilliance?
He didnt win the balon dOr only because of Copa America, he won because he is Messi, the great, and he finally won a title with Argentina after almost 30 years. Messi scored 47 goals in 09/10 and he was without a doubt the best player of that Barça team. And he carried Barça to the 3rd place in La Liga (look how great Barça is without him).
I would personally give the trophy to Lewandowski because Messi is just not Messi yet in PSG (basically for 1/3 of the year he is not the magical Messi) and Lewa is just a beast and he was obviously robbed last year (because there was no Balon), but I can totally see why Messi also deserved it. To put in perspective, while Messi won the Copa America Lewandowski didnt win a single match in the Euro (scored 3 goals at least, better than at last WC). At the end of the day it is mostly a prize about either: who are the best players period (Messi and Ronaldo) and other players that played well and were in clubs that won stuff (Jorginho is a top 5 player in the world? It just happened that he won the UCL and the Euro in the same year) and winning the Bundesliga is as great as winning the Ligue One, noone cares (if it is PSG and Bayern). Again, Lewa is on a killing spree, dude has a serious goal scoring addiction but he didn't get important trophies this year.
The Bundesliga goalscoring record is split over the two calendar years so you can't really credit it when it comes to an award that only takes into account 2021.
When you look at 2021 alone, I really don't think his case for the award is that strong (it wouldn't be egregious if he had won it, just not a robbery that he hasn't). Yeah he's scored a lot of goals, but he's a pure goalscorer, playing in an absurdly dominant team in a league that already juices every striker's numbers anyway. He only won a league title in 2021, which is practically meaningless if you play for Bayern at this point and didn't really do too much of note in the champions league or the euros, relatively speaking.
Like I'm not really sure Lewandowski particularly deserves it this year more than someone like Haaland, who's scored a bit less but is still putting up absurd goalscoring numbers for a much worse Bundesliga team.
Lewa could have got it and I wouldn't have had any complaints but robbery? Na not even close.
Messi had a very good year individually and with Argentina.
The reality is he set the bar so damn high that unless his scoring over 50 goals and winning championships or CL it must mean his been average.
Barcelona on the slide yes but take away Messi from the last 3 years and God knows where that club would be. Dude was carrying that club.
Messi had a very good year individually and with Argentina.
The reality is he set the bar so damn high that unless his scoring over 50 goals and winning championships or CL it must mean his been average.
Barcelona on the slide yes but take away Messi from the last 3 years and God knows where that club would be. Dude was carrying that club.
Benzema was better than Lewa, so not sure where the Lewa hype is coming from? Bayern have a better team than Madrid and La Liga is stronger league overall with Madrid being less dominant in their league. Benzema has carried Madrid forward line in the last 18 months or so. Put Lewa in that Madrid team and I am not sure he'd score as many goals. Put Benzema in that Bayern team and he'd score as much.
Lol. Yes if you genuinely believe Chelsea or Italy could not win without Jorginho.
Take Messi out of that Argentinan side and they ain't winning copa America
Don't think he would score as much as I don't think his as good of a finisher as Lewa but you are correct in saying Benzema has been pivotal for real madrid. No doubt about that.
La Liga is absolutely horrific at the moment so not really sure where you've got the idea it's stronger (although it probably does juice attackers numbers less than the Bundesliga)
Just so we are clear this call of corruption or robbery is aimed at all those football writers, national team coaches and captains that picked Messi?
Horrific? No, it's more competitive because the big two are not running away with things. They are not as dominant because Barca are financially ruined plus lost Messi and Madrid have a stadium to pay for.
And the bundesliga is great right? Most predictable league in Europe. Atleast someone different won the French, Italian and Scottish leagues last year. The streak is still going in Germany and won't be stopping anytime soon.
It's a robbery in the sense that they picked Messi because he's Messi. Nothing organised about it or corruption.
I mean, he broke the goalscoring record in 2021. So it's hard to not put it in the credit for this year. He's scored 64 goals in 54 games this calendar year too, which is a lot, as well as winning trophies for Bayern. Personally I think that combined should push him over the edge. Hard to blame him for Champions League failures when he was injured for that match, and winning anything with Poland would take actual superhuman feats.
Are people actually serious with this Jorginho business? Surely it's a meme, like that Bendtner stuff…right? Please tell me it's a joke.
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Messi, Lewa and Benzema. Honestly you could make the argument for each one and have a good point. Ultimately for me personally not one player that was head and shoulders above the rest.
Messi…well is Messi. We are just used to his greatness so a 'lesser' year is seen as failure by some. Though he has been crap for PSG so that would be something against him.
Lewandowski scores a lot but tbh…I've never felt the hype with him. Plays in a 1-team league that has been dominating for so long destroying the opposition. Bundesliga is a joke and winning it with Bayern doesn't mean anything Ultimately he is one of those players that just isn't doing it for me, so I am probably biased in my view of him.
Benzema…I'm a Madrid fan so bias here as well. He really upped his game after Ronaldo left and hit some new heights. Also has been great for France, especially linking up with Mbappe so well. Great and all but Ballon D'or worthy? Ehhh
Overall a weak year, then again Mess/Ronaldo were freaks in the last 14 years or so. So high bar.
How to spot someone knee jerk reacting to something he has no clues about
Did almost nothing to earn it. Nothing at Barca and a very standard Copa America. I would have given it to Benzema but theres a couple of other deserving candidates as well.
Jorginho really isn't that good. He plays next to Kante who is genuinely world class so the contrast is even more jarring. Jorginho is good but nothing more than that. He's the kind of player hipsters fawn over for making constant 5 yard passes.
The goalscoring record includes goals from 2020, so is inherently meaningless to an award that only takes into account 2021.
Messi has 41 goals + 17 assists this calendar year. Which from a pure numbers perspective is arguably more impressive when you consider the context of playing for a dysfunctional embarrassment like 2021 Barca, compared to the juggernaut that is Bayern. It just feels less impressive because we've gotten so used to it from him at this point.
And then on top of that you've got to consider that Messi offers way more on top of just scoring and creating (he's still arguably the best passer, ball carrier etc in the world), whereas Lewa is almost a pure poacher, playing in a team that creates an absurd number of chances per game. And in the Copa America Messi actually won something of note (sorry the Bundesliga does not count as 'of note' for Bayern), with another side that is also incredibly dysfunctional.
By the standards you're holding Messi to, what exactly did Benzema do of note?
Jesus, what a take...
Anyways -
It was either Lewandowski or Messi and as a Messi fan, Lewan would've definitely been a worthy winner. Messi said as much in his speech.
But considering what Messi did with Barcelona's current team + winning the Copa America (and some individual achievements), that's why you couldn't rule him out.
was very close
- Lionel Messi (Argentine, FC Barcelone, Paris-SG), 613 points.
- Robert Lewandowski (Pologne, Bayern Munich), 580 pts.
The year in which get got 52 g+a under a woeful Koemen side (who fell apart without him), won a Copa del Rey, he kept them relevant in the title race and was fantastic with Argentina in the Copa America 🤔
Absolutely deserved although I feel bad for Bobby for not getting the trophy last year. Messi was fantastic last season and won a major international trophy by carrying the team.
Ballon d'Or has never been about who had the best early season. Messi's been injured and getting used to his new surroundings but I'm expecting him to roll back the years in the second half of the season.
People throw GOAT around a lot these days but Messi really might be the greatest ever.
Ballon d'Or has never been about who had the best early season. Messi's been injured and getting used to his new surroundings but I'm expecting him to roll back the years in the second half of the season.
People throw GOAT around a lot these days but Messi really might be the greatest ever.
Barcelona wasn't great last season, but just look at them in this one to understand what Messi had to carry while being there.
Him or Lewandowski winning are fine by me.
Him or Lewandowski winning are fine by me.
The world cup is after the end of votes (end of october is the vote's deadline). World cup will have no impact on the 2022 trophy and he won't win in 2023 (let's be real)
By that count, breaking any season's goal scoring record after October (when the votes are cast) in any calendar year is inherently meaningless. Which is weird for me. Like, football doesn't work on calendar years. Breaking a nigh unbreakable goal scoring record has to count for something.
Messi's goal scoring tally this calendar year has been impressive to be sure, and winning Copa America isn't nothing, but Lewa pips him for me. Especially as he was robbed of the win last year.
More like most people don't pay very close attention and give it to the guy who has won it before on name recognition
It's only France Football correspondants voting (about 170 of them precisely). Coaches and Captains voting was a long time ago
This means that more often than not name recognition is the driving factor into the votes.
I say this as a fan of Messi - this was a popularity contest at its finest, zero doubt about it. Lewandowski isn't being properly recognized, and it's a shame.
I dont understand their criteria. Certainly Messi is brilliant, but Barca was crap. Then we have Jorginho. I mean a lot of success with Chelsea and Italy, but really? There are a whole lot of players I would take for my team before him. He seems to only be there for team success.
Not enough people watched Messi absolutely dominate the Copa America.
From the start of 21 he was brilliant for Barca, too.
Otherwise winning a league/trophies with PSG come the end of the 23 season would be enough to see him win Balon d'Or should he have also won the world cup.
Argentina have a quality side now, so let's see.
From the start of 21 he was brilliant for Barca, too.
I hope he comes to the PL, somehow (though I doubt it's possible, he'd be brilliant in Pep's current city side).
Otherwise winning a league/trophies with PSG come the end of the 23 season would be enough to see him win Balon d'Or should he have also won the world cup.
Argentina have a quality side now, so let's see.
Football doesn't work on calendar years, but an (arbritary & somewhat meaningless) award that is specifically based on the calendar year does work on calendar years. It's why Ronaldo breaking the all time international goalscoring record this year isn't relevant either.