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In what was an absolutely tumultuous year for Lionel Messi, the Argentine failed to make it to the podium of the Ballon d'Or for the first time in a decade to cap off what has been one of the worst years of his career.
2018 started well enough, as the Barca number 10 was on hand to down Chelsea and make light of the fact that he had never scored against The Blues in nine previous attempts to send Barcelona into the UCL quarterfinal for the tenth year running. From then on, however, it all went downhill.
Leo was powerless to stop a total capitulation by the Blaugrana in the quarterfinal clash against AS Roma, as the Spanish champions found a way to throw away a 4-1 first leg advantage, falling to a 3-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico, with Messi once more going AWOL (making it five seasons and 10 matches without a UCL quarter-final goal) – just like that, Barcelona’s European dreams were shattered.
Moving on, in what was arguably the mother of all underperformances, a highly talented Argentine squad flattered to deceive at the World Cup, needing a last-gasp victory against Nigeria and an Iceland defeat on the final day of the group stage to qualify from what was supposed to be an easy group on paper for La Albiceleste.
Their deficiencies were fatally exposed by the French in the next round, as Kylian Mbappe and co-ran riot on an Argentine backline which struggled to keep up with the youth of the French. Once again, Argentine hopes for a first international title in over 25 years were dashed, with Lionel Messi taking the brunt of the blame, as criticisms flew in from all angles including from Diego Maradona.
It was not supposed to be so, as the South Americans were even present at the Mundial thanks to Leo, as it was his hat-trick against Ecuador on the final day of CONMEBOL qualification which gave Argentina their World Cup ticket.
His no-shows in the UCL knockout and World Cup contributed majorly to his individual award snub (with his fifth place Ballon d’Or finish proving the final straw). To make matters worse, immediately after his Ballon d’Or debacle, Pele came out with some rather absurd claims against Messi, suggesting that he should not be considered among the GOAT, as he only ‘shot with one foot, could not head the ball and only had one skill’.
However, beyond his World Cup and UCL no-shows, Messi still had a fairly decent campaign last season, finishing as the best scorer in Europe for a record breaking fifth time (34 goals in 36 matches), as well as topping the assist standings in La Liga.
Even though those figures fall some way off the superhuman stats we have become accustomed to from him in recent years, Lionel Messi is still arguably the best player of this generation (and unarguably one of the best of all time), and his fifth place Ballon d’Or finish is not only a travesty, but a mockery to all that he achieved last season.
However, with 2018 coming to an end and a New Year approaching, the stage is set for Messi to claim football’s top honor for the first time in four years, and in this piece, we take a look at five reasons why Lionel Messi would win the 2019 Ballon d’Or.
#5 He is a wounded Lion playing for lost pride
All of the events of the last year have seen Messi’s status doubted perhaps like never before, as questions have been raised over his suitability to be classified as a GOAT due to his underperformance on the international stage with his country, as well as his continued faltering in the knockouts of the UCL.
The criticisms seem to have inspired to new heights (if that is even possible), as he embarks on a mission to reclaim his lost pride of place as the premier footballer in the world.
There is a cold blooded edge to Messi’s game this season (which was rarely seen before), and he has the look of the man on a quest to silence his doubters (surprising given all he has achieved) once and for all.
Messi is more business minded in the way he goes about his game this season, always going in for the kill and eager to put opposition teams to the sword at the slightest opportunity (his performance against Espanyol highlighted this new found edge).
Earlier in the season, he sustained a shoulder injury which was expected to keep him sidelines for at least three weeks, but in scenes which shocked the world, the Argentine maestro was back to the fold just ten days later (as though each time spent on the sidelines was detrimental to the fulfillment of his goals).
So far this campaign, he has scored 17 goals and has assists from 17 matches in all competitions, and sits top of both the La Liga as well as the UCL scorers charts, and at this rate, it is hard to imagine him not lifting a record sixth Ballon d’Or come next year.
#4 The drive to go one better than Ronaldo
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s rivalry is well documented, with both men dominating the footballing landscape in a manner not seen before or possibly ever again for over a decade.
For nine years in La Liga, both men contested against one another, in their personal battle for supremacy, with their performances so otherworldy that other players left them alone in their duopoly of the individual awards.
It was almost comical the way they set about their contest, as each laid down a marker for the other, almost unspokenly daring the other to achieve it (which more often than not was done).
40-goal seasons (which in times gone past were the highlight of world-class strikers careers) became the norm, and it was considered an anomaly if any of the pair failed to hit that mark.
Every fan in the world was on one side of the debate over who was better, and a recurring (somewhat stale) theme on most football sites has been childish banter and jibes on who the better player is, with both sides having valid claims.
Golden Boots became child’s play for both men, as the art of goalscoring which was previously in such high demand that a 25-goal season striker was considered elite became so commonplace that you had no shot at glory except you performed extra-terrestrially (like Salah did last season).
All the individual accolades were won in this time (although Luka Modric broke the chain with his clean sweep this year), and both men are currently tied on five apiece in terms of Ballon d’Or wins (Ronaldo deserves special praise for his dedication to level it from a seemingly insurmountable deficit of 4-1).
Ronaldo departed Real Madrid for Juventus in an unforeseen move in the summer to break the La Liga party, but as long as both men continue to sweat it out on the green grass, they would always be in competition regardless of whether they are separated by Oceans or border lines.
So far this season, the eternal pair have shown signs that Modric’s Ballon d’Or win was nothing but a slight disruption in the chain and that it would be back to business, as usual, this season.
Both men sit top of their respective league’s scorers charts, with Lionel Messi taking it a notch further by also topping the UCL scorers chart as well as the assist table in La Liga.
Ronaldo and Messi are tied on five Ballon d’Ors apiece, and whoever triumphs in next year’s edition would have the upper hand in settling their grand debate once and for all, as both men’s advancing ages means they would not have too many more shots at the prize, and you can bet that Lionel Messi would not want to sit back and watch Ronaldo overtake him, having equalled from 4-1 down.
#3 Shot at Copa America
Argentina is without an international title since the Copa triumph in 1991, as the soccer crazy nation has watched as crop after crop of talented generations of players faltered on the grand stage.
The country’s greatest football export is undoubtedly Diego Maradona, and his exploits at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico guaranteed him an eternal place in the annals of football history as ranking high up there with the Greatest Of All Time, as well as endearing him to the hearts of his compatriots.
In the intervening years, scores of Argentines have earned the moniker as the ‘next Maradona’ with none coming close to justify the tag, until the arrival of a certain Lionel Messi.
Both men’s similarity in stature and playing style, as well as Messi’s recreation of two of Maradona's most famous (or infamous) goals, ensured that he enjoyed a higher status than those who came before him to replace the all-time great.
Since then, Messi has cemented his status as an all-time great (with many considering him to be the greatest ever), but one thing remains a stumbling block – his lack of international success.
For 12 years with Argentina, Lionel Messi has faltered, with the three consecutive final defeats between 2014 and 2016 serving as highlights of his struggles with the national team, with fans wondering why he fails to recreate the magic he does so easily for Barcelona with the Argentine national team.
However, it is not for want of trying, and Messi’s grief at each failure on the international scene is indicative of a man who is desperate to ease the pains of his countrymen.
The Copa America next year offers perhaps one last shot at international glory and the fact that it is being staged in the home of the mother enemy (Brazil0 gives added incentive, and if Lionel Messi is finally able to break his trophy duck on the international scene, it is hard to argue against him winning the 2018 Ballon d’Or or indeed being considered the Greatest Of All Time.
#2 He seems determined to return the UCL to Camp Nou
Barcelona have not made it past the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League since 2015, as they have fallen to Atletico Madrid, Juventus and perhaps most shockingly of all, AS Roma at the final eight stage of the competition.
To make matters worse, the Blaugrana have had to watch on as eternal rivals Real Madrid lifted each of those three Champions Leagues consecutively, with the Catalans having to settle for domestic dominance.
As stated earlier, Messi is without a UCL quarterfinal goal since 2013, so it, therefore, comes as no surprise to see that they have made it to the last four just once since then, as whenever Messi scores, Barca tend to win matches.
A key component to triumphing in the Ballon d’Or is Champions League performance, and Lionel Messi knows this all too well, as despite being superior to Ronaldo in terms of La Liga performance, his Portuguese rival has trumped him to the individual accolades simply because he has performed better on the continent.
Barcelona is currently on a three year UCL drought, and this is an anomaly considering the tradition of the club, with Messi stating as much during his first press conference as Barcelona’s new skipper following Iniesta’s departure.
Messi said that is is his mission to bring the UCL back to the Nou Camp, and his actions since then suggest that he has set about achieving his goal.
He scored six goals from just three and half matches on the continent in the group stage (including a hat-trick in the opening day against PSV in Eindhoven), as well as laying on an assist for Ousmane Dembele.
Messi scored in each of his three UCL starts in the group stage, and if he is to keep up with this rate, it is hard to stop him from lifting the ‘Big Ears’ come May next year at the Wanda Metropolitano, and this would undoubtedly aid in his quest for a record sixth Ballon d’Or conquest.
#1 He has triumphed in the years following a World Cup
It is no hidden secret that Messi has not had the best of relationships with the World Cup since assuming the role of talisman for his country.
Messi headed into the 2010 World Cup off a spectacular club season with Barcelona and being the best player united with Diego Maradona on the manager's seat and a terrific attack line, it was expected that La Albiceleste would be winners in South Africa.
The reality was however very different, as they crashed out embarrassingly to Germany in a 4-0 defeat at the quarterfinal stage with Messi failing to score a goal.
A year later, he starred with 53 goals from 55 matches in all competitions as Barcelona won the Champions League and La Liga trophies, only failing to add a second treble curtsey their 1-0 Copa Del Rey final loss to Real Madrid. It was no surprise that he became only the second player in history to win the Ballon d'Or three times.
In 2014, Messi was the star of the of the show as Argentina went all the way to the final of the World Cup in Brazil only to suffer heartbreak once more to familiar foes Germany.
Messi was named Player of the Tournament, but that came as scant consolation and his grief at full time was evident, with a picture of the sadness on his face as he passed the World Cup trophy going viral and enough to draw sympathy from his staunchest critic.
In the next season, he put memories of that behind him to lead Barcelona to her second treble of La Liga, UCL and Copa Del Rey, contributing a record-breaking 58 goals in all competitions and won the fifth Ballon d'Or of his career as recognition for his efforts.
After the shenanigans in Russia last summer, it would therefore not come as a surprise if Messi follows in the trajectory of his seasons following World Cups thus far and win the Ballon d'Or next year and with the way he is going, it seems that is likely to happen.
