'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or a record six times. It is the biggest individual prize in football and only the very best in the business have been able to lay their hands on the trophy.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the Ballon d'Or scene for the past decade and more. Luka Modric was the only other player to have upset that trend by winning it in 2018.
The 2020-21 season was a testing one for Lionel Messi for several reasons. He wanted to leave Barcelona in the summer of 2020. But he was denied a way out as interested parties were priced out of a deal thanks to a clause in Messi's contract. His close friend and strike partner Luis Suarez was unceremoniously shown the exit door as well.
Messi took a while to hit his stride in the 2020-21 season, but there was almost no stopping him once he did. Now that he seems to have found his rhythm at Copa America 2021, it looks like Argentina are in with a chance to win the elusive trophy.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five reasons why Lionel Messi deserves to win the Ballon d'Or this year.
#5 Lionel Messi won the most man-of-the-match awards in 2020-21 season
Man-of-the-match awards are a good measure of how consistently a player can affect games. Lionel Messi has been Barcelona's most important player for more than a decade now and it continues to be that way. It is not very surprising then that Joan Laporta is scampering around to get Messi's contract renewed.
The Argentine won a whopping 22 man-of-the-match awards in the 2020-21 season. The second player on the list is Harry Kane and he has won just 13. That goes to show how much of a difference Messi makes and how consistently he is able to do it as well.
#4 No clear-cut favourites in the Ballon d'Or race this time
The Ballon d'Or race has been blown wide open this time around. As opposed to recent years where we'd have had a clear-cut favourite to win the most prestigious individual prize in football, this year we don't have any.
Last year, Robert Lewandowski was tipped to win the Ballon d'Or on the back of an incredible season with Bayern Munich. He was the top scorer across all competitions in Europe and also won the continental treble. Unfortunately for him, the Ballon d'Or was canceled in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Major trophies in Europe have been scattered this time and as such, no player has a telling advantage over the others in that regard. Messi's achievements in the 2020-21 season are on par with that of his competition.
#3 Lionel Messi could guide Argentina to Copa America triumph
Argentina have been one of the best sides in the Copa America 2021 so far. They qualified for the knockout stages without much hassle and topped Group A. They picked up three wins and a draw from their four group stage games.
Messi has scored three goals for Argentina in the tournament so far. Having finished on top of Group A, Argentina will not need to face South American powerhouse and eternal rivals Brazil unless they meet in the finals.
Lionel Messi and co. will face Ecuador in the quarter-finals. Given the kind of talent Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has at his disposal, this might be La Albiceleste's best chance to go all the way in the tournament with Messi on their side.
If Messi can win the Copa America with Argentina, he'll have won two major trophies this year. That should greatly boost his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or.
#2 Lionel Messi has been in sublime form in 2021
Messi was not at his best in the first half of the season. However, he turned it around by the end of December and was since able to stack up some incredible numbers. He has scored 28 goals and provided eight assists in 29 matches across all competitions for Barcelona this calendar year.
By December, Barcelona had nearly bowed out of the La Liga title race. However, Lionel Messi's upturn in form helped them get their season back on track. If they hadn't bottled it in the final month of the season, Barcelona could have even gone on to win the La Liga title.
Messi also won the Copa Del Rey with Barcelona in 2021. He has scored three goals in four games for Argentina at the Copa America.
#1 Lionel Messi won the La Liga Golden Boot
With 30 goals from 35 appearances, Lionel Messi won the La Liga Golden Boot this past term. Despite being well into his 30s, Messi hasn't lost his sharpness in and around the final third. His finishing continues to be first-rate and was Barcelona's guiding light in the 2020-21 season.
Messi scored 30 goals and finished well clear of second-placed Karim Benzema and Gerard Moreno, who had 23 goals each, in the race for the Golden Boot. In total, Messi scored 38 goals and provided 14 assists in 47 matches across all competitions this past season.
Also read: Euro 2020: Paul Merson’s predictions for the quarterfinal fixtures
