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#1 There are players more deserving than him
Over the last decade or thereabout, Lionel Messi has played his way into being considered arguably the best player to ever play the game of football.
In that time, his performance levels have been so far ahead of everyone else that the only player deserving to be named in the same breath as him was Cristiano Ronaldo.
If the Ballon d'Or were to be given on career performances, then Lionel Messi would probably win it every year. However, it is awarded to the player adjudged to have been the best player in the period under review.
While Messi might have outperformed everyone by a distance domestically last season, it is when you begin to factor in performances against other players in overall competition that his case looks less solid.
For starters, Virgil Van Dijk has been earmarked by many as the most deserving of the price and justifiably so, as the 28-year-old has been nothing short of phenomenal since Liverpool broke the bank to make him the most expensive defender in history.
The former Southampton man was instrumental in transforming Liverpool's defence from shaky and laughing stock into an impenetrable fortress, helping them concede the least number of goals in the Premier League while playing a huge role as The Reds won Champions League trophy and also captained his side to the final of the first-ever UEFA Nations League.
When you add in the fact that he did all this without being dribbled past in over 60 matches despite coming up against virtually all the world-class forwards currently in the world then you realize just how impressive he was over the last year.
If Van Dijk was instrumental in turning around Liverpool's defensive woes, then Alisson was the missing link in the jigsaw puzzle, as the 27-year-old brought an instant solution to what has been a problematic area for Liverpool since Pepe Reina departed.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the Champions League final against Tottenham where the Brazilian international made a joint-record eight saves to help Liverpool to the trophy. Contrast this to Lorius Karius' howlers last year to realize how important Alisson is to Liverpool.
On the international scene, 'the Messi of goalkeepers' also shone to help Brazil to a ninth Copa America title on home soil, while also winning the Golden Glove while he was at it (the third he won in the last few months).
No Ballon d'Or discussion is complete without the mention of Ronaldo or no dialogue about Messi for that matter, as like the Argentine, the Portuguese icon has stamped his authority on the beautiful game.
Despite moving to a new league, Ronaldo still conquered, setting several records to help Juventus to an eighth consecutive Serie A title.
It can be argued that the Bianconerri did not need the services of Ronaldo to win the Scudetto and rightly so, as the Turin giants are so far ahead of the competition in Italy that they would win the title every season at a canter with or without their most expensive signing.
It is for his Champions League prowess which he was signed and many would say that he failed, but it was not for his want of trying, as Ronaldo discharged his duties in front of goal in the knockout stages with distinction (same as Messi) but was let down by his teammates.
On a comparative level with Messi, Ronaldo is dwarfed in league performance, as Lionel Messi significantly outperformed him in the league although they both won their league titles.
The same can be said of their performance in the Champions League. However, Messi's failure to go all the way renders this point moot. They each failed to inspire their side to domestic cup glory and ended the season with the same trophies: the League and domestic Super Cup.
Ronaldo's significant advantage comes on the international scene, as while Messi struggled with Argentina, he was the star of the show with a scintillating hattrick display in the semifinal of the UEFA Nations League against Switzerland to power his nation to the final on home soil where they ultimately prevailed against the Netherlands for their second trophy in the last three years.
Each of Cristiano Ronaldo, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker can significantly claim to have outperformed Lionel Messi in all competitions and as such are more deserving of a Ballon d'Or podium finish.
