5 reasons why Lionel Messi is bigger than the Ballon d'Or

#2 Team glory above all else

Lionel Messi has helped Barcelona win numerous trophies

'Selfless' has been a word often used to describe Lionel Messi. On the pitch, the man can take on the world thrice over, all by himself, and win with his eyes closed. But, what defines him, is that he chooses not to.

The homuncular Argentinian takes on defences time and again, beats them time and again, finds himself in front of goal time and again, but unlike most other strikers, he is, most often than not, more than happy to slide the ball through to a teammate in a better position.

No, this isn't because he can't shoot. Oh boy! Can he shoot! Lionel Messi can shoot better than most. It's just that he isn't crippled by a constant desire to do so. While Cristiano Ronaldo has established himself as one of the finest hitmen to have played the game, there is no better creator than Leo Messi.

The 31-year-old has inculcated a firm belief in "There is no I in team", and has always strived to succeed as part of a team, rather than on his own. Throughout his career, Messi has constantly valued team success over all else.

While Ronaldo has received his fair share of criticism for being selfish, not once have such accusations been levelled at Messi. While the likes of Gareth Bale have faded away in Ronaldo's shadow, the likes of Neymar and Luis Suarez have risen spectacularly alongside Messi.