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Many have doubted that Lionel Messi can win the Ballon d'Or following another Copa America failure. Messi led his national team into the final in the previous 2 Copa edition. Unfortunately, Argentina's display was far from convincing this time, as the team only reached the semi-finals.
The Albicelestes barely escaped early elimination from the competition after collecting just a point from their first 2 games. It is understandable that Messi played below the public's expectation, as the Barcelona talisman scored just a goal (from a penalty) throughout the competition.
On the other hand, Messi's main Ballon d'Or competitor Virgil van Dijk led the Netherlands into UEFA Nations League final. Thus, van Dijk progressed further than Messi in the national competition this year, despite the Oranje losing to Portugal in the final. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old could still end up as the Ballon d'Or winner due to the following reasons:
#3 He carried Barcelona in La Liga
Barcelona were heavily reliant on Messi last season, and their over-reliance sparked criticisms from the fans. However, Barcelona's dependence on the 32-year-old has turned into a blessing in disguise for the Argentinian, as it considerably boosts Messi's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or.
The Barcelona superstar successfully carried his club, amassing 36 league goals and providing 13 assists. Other Barcelona potential goalscorers such as Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho failed to impress last season. Thus, Luis Suarez was the only player capable of helping Messi score goals.
Had Messi been unable to play, Barcelona might have finished in a mid-table position in the league. On the other hand, van Dijk had top European players such as Andrew Robertson, Alisson Becker, and Alexander Arnold who helped him in defense. Hence, it could be safe to say that Messi had a better impact than van Dijk on the club level.
#2 Impressive consistency
Another thing that will set Messi apart from his Ballon d'Or competitor is the Argentinian's insane consistency. The Argentina talisman either scored or assisted in nearly all of Barcelona's La Liga games last campaign. He did a similar thing in the Champions League, scoring against every team he faced except Inter Milan.
No other players came close to his goalscoring record in both domestic and Champions League. Van Dijk, on the other hand, had hit his low in several of Liverpool's games, particularly in the Champions League group stage. The Reds barely made it into the knockout round after claiming just 9 points from 6 matches in group C.
The Dutch star recorded just 2 clean sheets in the group stage and conceding goals from PSG, Cverna Zvezda and Napoli. Messi was perhaps unlucky to get knocked out from the competition after just one bad game in the semi-final.
#1 Argentina's best player in the Copa
Argentina barely impressed throughout their Copa America run. However, Lionel Messi stood out from the rest of his teammates. Despite scored just once from 5 appearances, Messi still became a huge help for his team due to his impressive playmaking skill.
The Argentina talisman won 4 dribbles and created 1.8 key passes on average per game. He also made 2 assists in the competition. Unfortunately, both Sergio Aguero and Lautaro struggled to capitalize their scoring chances. Aguero barely made an impact on the team, as the Manchester City striker scored just a goal in the entire competition. Lautaro Martinez, on the other hand, was not enough to save Argentina despite showing some promising signs.
The 32-year-old was his team's best player once again during the semi-final, despite the Albicelestes eventually losing to Brazil. He turned out to be the player with most key passes and successful dribbles against Brazil. Thus, Messi was hardly to blame for Argentina's poor run, and he still deserves the Ballon d'Or regardless of the Copa America result.
