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Since picking up his maiden Ballon d'Or in 2009, Lionel Messi has emerged as a household name in the world of football and is usually one of the first players to be associated with France Football's prestigious individual honour.
The Argentine talisman became the most successful player in the 64-year history of the award after receiving his sixth winner's trophy last December, tallying one more than his eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite knockout stage exits from the Copa America and the Champions League last term, he powered his way to the winner's podium solely based on his brilliant performances for Barcelona. The 32-year-old netted 36 goals in La Liga to win the European Golden Shoe and guided the Catalan giants to a consecutive league title at the end of the season.
However, this year the picture is a bit different. We are already halfway through the campaign and though the Blaugrana skipper is only one of the three players across Europe's top five leagues with double-digit goals and assists, he is neither the top goalscorer nor the top assist-provider at the moment.
Last year's finalists Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk are enjoying a great run of form with their clubs, with the Portuguese ace hitting a purple patch with Juventus and the Dutch defender on his way to winning his first Premier League title with Liverpool.
So, if the trends continue, Messi might end up short of making a convincing claim for the Ballon d'Or this December. Having said that, we take a look at four things the Barcelona skipper needs to do in 2020 to retain the honour.
Also See: 5 things Cristiano Ronaldo needs to do in 2020 to win the Ballon d'Or this December
#4 Break Telmo Zarra's record of most Pichichi trophy wins
Messi leads the race for the top scorer's spot in La Liga in yet another campaign, with 14 goals in 19 appearances this term. He has won the revered Pichichi Trophy three seasons in a row and looks set to make it four consecutive seasons, although he has recently experienced a dip in his goalscoring form.
The 32-year-old is currently going through his worst goalscoring drought in the league since January 2014, having gone four matches without finding the back of the net.
Though he has not scored a goal in the last four games, he has been busy laying assists for his teammates in the same period, setting up six of Barca's last seven goals.
The Blaugrana captain also won the European Golden Shoe for a record-sixth time last season, but this time around, he has fallen way behind his counterparts, with current leader Ciro Immobile registering almost double his tally with 25 goals. It might be safe to say that the possibility of him retaining the accolade seems far-fetched at this point but he could still end the campaign as the top scorer in the Spanish top-flight.
The feat of scoring the most goals in La Liga this term will be a milestone achievement for the left-footed forward as it would mean breaking Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra's 67-year-old record of six Pichichi trophies.
Also Read: Messi and Liverpool among the big-name nominees at Laureus World Sports Awards
#3 Win the Champions League for the first time since 2015
Winning the UEFA Champions League is one of the biggest achievements of the season for any club and player. It is no wonder, then, that success at the elite pan-European competition is given a lot of weightage by the selection committee of the Ballon d'Or.
Messi has won the competition with Barcelona four times: in 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11 and 2014–15. Interestingly, he ended up winning the Ballon d'Or on three of the four occasions. However, it should be noted that in the 2008-09 and 2014-15 seasons, he also won the treble with the Catalan giants.
His perceived rival, Ronaldo, was recognized with the honour in 2016 and 2017 when he helped Real Madrid become the first team to retain the title twice, while his former teammate Luka Modric was awarded the trophy in 2018 for his role in their journey to a hat-trick of trophies as well as his performances at the FIFA World Cup in the same year.
Messi has faced disappointment in the competition since 2015, with Barcelona having been knocked out in the quarter-finals three times before getting eliminated by eventual champions Liverpool from the semi-finals last season.
All the available data appear to suggest that if he is to retain the Ballon d'Or for the first time since 2012, winning the Champions League will be one of the top things that could steer him to the objective.
With a possibility of a treble out of the picture following the Catalans' elimination from the Copa del Rey earlier this month, winning the continental competition becomes much more crucial for Messi to retain the Ballon d'Or.
Also Read: 5 Records Lionel Messi can break in the 2019-20 season
#2 Finish as the top international scorer for the year 2020
Messi is currently the third-highest scoring active footballer at the international level, behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and India's Sunil Chhetri. Since making his debut for Argentina in 2005, he has scored 70 times for the national team and has gone on to become the all-time top scorer for La Albiceleste.
It is a known fact that performance at international level combined with success in club competitions is a sure-shot way of building a strong case for the Ballon d'Or, so for a forward like Messi, scoring plenty of goals while on international duty is probably the easiest method to boost his chances of retaining the award this December.
There is a possibility that the 32-year-old will finish as the top scorer in La Liga for yet another season and with the Copa America also coming in the summer, we expect him to shun his usual blues with the national team at international competitions and end as the top scorer there as well.
A scenario where he rakes in a high number of international goals, coupled with major trophy wins with Barcelona, could therefore leave him with a great chance of lifting the seventh Ballon d'Or of his career.
Also Read: 5 Lionel Messi feats that are in the Guinness World Records
#1 Win the first major honour with Argentina at the Copa America 2020
Messi's scintillating performances for Barcelona are a testament to the fact that he is one of the greatest ever players to have stepped out on to the football pitch. Sadly, he has never been able to reproduce his club exploits with Argentina and despite making it into four finals at major competitions, including three Copa America finals and one FIFA World Cup final, he has always returned empty-handed.
Despite owning every other goalscoring record in La Liga and winning multiple honours with the Blaugrana, a lack of silverware with his national side remains one of the biggest shortcomings of his illustrious career.
The Copa America will, however, be co-hosted by Argentina this year, giving the diminutive forward the perfect opportunity to shut his critics once and for all by guiding his team to their first international title since 1993.
Although a Copa America title would significantly increase his chances of retaining his Ballon d'Or in December, he would have to be the best player on the pitch for both club and country throughout the year if he wants to retain the highly-coveted award.
With Euro 2020 also scheduled this summer, players like Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Virgil van Dijk will all be looking to make their own cases for the Ballon d'Or.
Messi, therefore, has a lot of competition this term and only a combination of two or more of the things listed here can help the left-footed maestro win the individual trophy for a record-extending seventh time.
