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Lionel Messi was the last man standing at the 2021 Ballon d'Or award ceremony in Paris on Monday. He beat his closest competitor Robert Lewandowski by 33 points to win the prestigious accolade for a record-extending seventh time in his career.
However, there are many who believe Messi wasn't the right choice for the award this year, despite leading from the front in Argentina's triumphant Copa America 2021 campaign. That's because Robert Lewandowski arguably had a better year for club and country, and would have been the more deserving winner.
The prolific Pole has amassed over 60 goals for club and country this year; no other player even hit 50. Moreover, he scored a record 41 goals to break the late Gerd Muller's five-decade-old record for most goals (40) in a Bundesliga season. In the process, Bayern Munich romped to their ninth consecutive league title.
As if that wasn't enough, Lewandowski has been on fire to begin the new season, compared to Messi's subdued start at PSG. The Pole is already up to 25 goals across competitions, while Messi has netted only four times.
Although both men won a major title apiece during the year, Lewandowski clearly had the better numbers and deserved the 2021 Ballon d'Or award. Several legends of the game also think likewise.
On that note, here's a look at five football legends who feel Messi didn't deserve the prestigious award this year:
#5 Iker Casillas (Real Madrid legend, three-time Champions League winner)
Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas is one of many legends of the game who is not pleased with Lionel Messi winning the 2021 Ballon d'Or award.
The 40-year-old has immense respect for Messi, calling him one of the best players to have graced the game. However, regarding the Argentine winning this year's award, Casillas said that the credibility of the award itself has come into question. The English translation of his tweet in this regard reads:
"It is increasingly difficult for me to believe in football awards. For me, Messi, he is one of the 5 best players in all of history but you have to start knowing how to catalog who are the most outstanding after a season. It's not that hard heck! Others make it hard."
In fact, Casillas is not alone in observing that Messi was not the deserving winner of the Ballon d'Or this year.
#4 Olivier Kahn (Bayern Munich and Germany legend)
Legendary Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn warmly congratulated Lionel Messi for his 2021 Ballon d'Or win.
However, the incumbent Bayern Munich CEO also said that Robert Lewandowski deserved this year's award, as he has been consistently brilliant for a while. The English translation of Kahn's tweet reads:
"Even without the Golden Ball, Lewy has long since made it to Olympus, the greatest in world football. I am excited to see which records he will set with our club in the future. He will be a candidate again next year."
As Messi rejoices in his latest Ballon d'Or triumph, Lewandowski might be wondering what could have been.
#3 Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid manager)
Carlo Ancelotti is another legend of the game who believes Lionel Messi didn't deserve the Ballon d'Or award this year.
The Real Madrid head coach is looking to become the first manager in history to win league titles in five different countries. He said that he would have voted for one of his team's players - Karim Benzema - instead. Ancelotti was quoted as saying in this regard:
"If Messi has been the best player? I have a conflict because I'm at Real Madrid, I cannot vote for one who is out (laughs). I would have chosen Benzema 1st, Vinicius 2nd, Courtois 3rd, Casemiro 4th, Kroos 5th... if Messi is the best, it's a personal opinion."
Among the quintet, only Benzema was on the shortlist for this year's award. The Frenchman has been on a tear for club and country this year. However, the absence of a major title meant Benzema only finished fourth in the final reckoning.
#2 Lothar Matthaus (1990 Ballon d'Or winner)
Lothar Matthaus is one of the most storied names in the history of Germany and Bayern Munich.
He is perhaps best known for leading Germany to their third FIFA World Cup triumph in 1990. For his exploits that year, Matthaus won the Ballon d'Or award. However, the former winner believes that the 2021 edition of the award didn't go to the right player.
Matthaus said that Lewandowski should have won the 2021 Ballon d'Or award because of his exploits in the last two years. He told Sky Germany in this regard:
“Honestly, I don't understand a thing anymore. With all due respect to Messi and the other great named players, none deserved it as much as Lewandowski. He is unmatched in the past two years. But even if you only take into account 2021, he is better than the rest."
"He broke Gerd Müller's record of the century, again tops the list of top scorers in all competitions and has overtaken everyone nationally and internationally this year as well."
Matthaus said that Messi's Copa America 2021 triumph shouldn't have usurped Lewandowski in the final reckoning, saying:
“Messi may have won the Copa America with Argentina, but he is completely pale in Paris. Benzema also played a great year, but left empty-handed with Real. Salah has been great in recent months but experienced a long period of drought at the start of the year."
"Jorginho has of course won two very big titles with Chelsea and Italy, but is nowhere near as remarkable as the Bayern striker and practically week after week. And Ronaldo was not as consistent and extraordinary as Lewandowski. I don't understand why he didn't win," argued the German legend.
Matthaus may have made a rather fair point. Lewandowski has been on a hot streak for club and country since last year. After missing the Ballon d'Or award last year, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewandowski produced the numbers to win it this year too.
#1 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid star, 2014 World Cup winner)
Toni Kroos is widely regarded as one of the best central midfielders in the game at the moment. The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner is one of the few players to win the Champions League with two different clubs.
Like the others on this list, the German is also of the opinion that Messi didn't deserve the Ballon d'Or award this year. He was quoted as saying in this regard, on a podcast:
"It's absolutely not deserved. There is no doubt that Messi, with Cristiano, has been the player of the last decade, but this year there should've been others ahead of him."
Kroos picked his teammate Benzema for the award, although the French star eventually finished fourth.
