Lionel Messi wins his eighth Ballon d’Or title

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Argentine seven-times Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is chosen as the winner of this year’s title edition, following his accomplishment at the 2022 World Cup.

The World Cup is the only star missing from the lineal-GOAT’s breast that has been raising eyebrows for a long time. There are those who think he should not have won this year’s award, though, and one of them was Jason Cundy.

Cundy was not unaware of why the player could turn up as the favourite, and mentioned it in his statement.

‘I have said it many time.’ Jason Cundy had predicted. ‘I think if Haaland doesn’t win it [the Ballon d’Or], it’s a disgrace. I think it’s a disgrace, Messi will win it because he won the World Cup.’

Despite all the glory and noise associated with the Ballon d’Or award, Lionel Messi once said he had no big view of it but rather preferred awards gotten at group level. By ‘group level’, he meant his club and country.

Lionel Messi and family at an award-giving ceremony

‘The Ballon d’Or is very important due to the recognition at the individual level, but I never gave it importance,’ announced Messi.

‘The most important thing for me was always the awards at the group level. I was lucky to have achieved everything in my career and after the World Cup, I’m thinking about that award much less, my biggest award was that and I’m disguising my moment. If it arrives, good, and if not, nothing happens. I was lucky to achieve all my goals in my career and now I have new goals with this club.’

Lionel Messi’s form at Inter Miami has been the subject of bad news for weeks now, including his inability to help his struggling club remain in the MLS playoffs. After the injury he sustained while working for his country in the World Cup qualifiers, he has only been able to carry himself instead of his club.

His so-called rival Cristiano Ronaldo has been at his best since, though he is older than Lionel Messi by two years. Some are convinced that the time has come for the GOAT to retire and tend his recurrent muscle problem, but Argentina’s first team’s coach, Scaloni, would not hear of it. In reaction to the question of whether Argentina’s best should be retired, the seemingly-angered coach replied:

‘Let’s keep in mind that he is still here. What a way to think about ‘when he is gone.’ The truth is that he is still active, let’s leave him alone, are we already retiring him? We commit hara-kiri, we are all crazy.’

The man believes that the veteran horse is alright.

‘Leo is fine,’ argued Scaloni. ‘He has been adding minutes of training. We will make the decision. It’s a matter of minutes, of how much he can play. If he’s well, you know what I think, he will play.

‘We always try to play those that are at 100 per cent or close to 100 per cent. It is very difficult for everyone to be at their best in these games so there may be a variation with respect to the game against Paraguay.’

It seems very clear that Cristiano Ronaldo fell behind in becoming the most decorated footballer of his era.