5 reasons why Messi could never win the Ballon d’Or again

Alright, so most of you reading this are perhaps already mad at me. And you are right to be. After all, Lionel Messi is perhaps the greatest player of all time—at least the most brutally efficient player I have ever seen.

When he runs with the ball at full pace, brushing off defenders like they were fallen dandruff on his shoulders, it feels like an eternity has conjured itself into a football to be at the feet of the divine Argentine—such is the ability of the Barcelona star.

In his career, he has won 5 Ballon d’Ors—joint-most with Cristiano Ronaldo—and has won everything there is to win with the Catalans. However, there is a chance that he won’t win the Ballon d’Or anymore. Even though it is highly, highly unlikely that Messi won’t win the Ballon d’Or again, here are 5 reasons why he MAY never win it again.

Disclaimer: This is only a hypothesis about why he MAY not win it, rather than stating it is a fact.

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#5 Sudden age catch-up

Messi will be turning 31 this year

Age is something that always catches up with players. No matter how good a player is, the damned wings of time fly everything towards the arms of nihil. No-one is above and beyond that, not even the God-like stature of Lionel Messi.

The Argentine is 30 years-old now and will be 31 in June. Given that 30s are the twilight years a player, there is always a chance of the former Newell’s boys finding himself gutted in the fangs of time. As the days go by, he will begin to lose his pace and ability to go past players at will.

His vision will remain with him, but without the awareness that made him the player that he is today, all of it wouldn’t be as great as we are accustomed to.

#4 Rise of Neymar

Neymar is ripping Ligue 1 defenses to shreds

As Lionel Messi reaches his twilight years, Neymar is approaching his peak. Indeed, his displays at Paris-Saint Germain only makes us wonder whether Ligue 1 is too damn easy or is it just the Brazilian’s brilliance.

Perhaps it is a bit of both. But what can’t be denied is that Neymar is approaching his best years and is a force to be reckoned with. He ran riot against Dijon to score 4 goals and make 2 assist for his team-mates.

He is playing alongside world-class players like Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe, and Marco Verratti, so he is bound to win trophies with PSG. Indeed, Ligue 1 is only a matter of time, but the Champions League is the main goal.

And given that they are playing against a broken Real Madrid side, they could easily progress in the next round and go on to win the Champions League—which goes a long way in helping a player in winning the Ballon d’Or.

#3 International credentials

Messi's Argentina career hasn't been great

Since the World Cup is just around the corner, this year’s Ballon d’Or winner will be adjudged with the help of World Cup performances. While the last two World Cups may not have yielded Ballon d’Or winners—with Messi winning it in 2010, and Cristiano Ronaldo winning it in 2014—this year could be a little different with the rise of Neymar.

Brazil looks like a much stronger unit than the Argentina team. They have found balance with a lot of quality players in each department, resulting them to put up a better show than their rivals. It is not just the World, however, there is also another trophy that Messi covets a lot.

The Copa America.

Right the year after the World Cup, Copa America will take place in 2019. And guess which nation hosts it? Brazil. In Brazil, there is a good chance that the home team will win it and since Neymar is the best player in the world after Messi, there is a chance that he will win the next few Ballon d’Ors all by himself.

#2 Barcelona accolades

Messi leads Barca to the second treble

This is perhaps the weakest argument of the lot, but I guess it is worth a shot. Barcelona is currently cruising in the league and has a 19 point lead over the Galacticos—their true rivals in La Liga. In the Champions League, they ended their group in the first position, but will now have to play Chelsea.

If we think with a cool head, then we can actually see that the Barca squad have its weaknesses. At one point, in the beginning of this season, Real Madrid looked invincible—much like what is being made of Barcelona right now.

However, Espanyol showed that they could be defeated. They might have signed Ousmane Dembele in the summer and Philippe Coutinho a few days ago, but both of them are out injured. Coutinho won’t be able to play in the Champions League anymore this season and how well Dembele can perform after such a long injury lay off is a matter that remains to be seen.

Barca might have also signed Yerry Mina to help them out in defense, but with Gerard Pique in the lineup, there is always a chance for the opponent to force out an error. In short, Barca’s team is great, but not invincible just yet.

They might win the league this season, but they perhaps don’t have the depth in the squad to win the Champions League—which is the bare minimum as only 3 out of the last 10 Champions League winners weren’t awarded the Ballon d’Or.

#1 Bad luck

Even the best need some luck

And it all comes down to this. There is no doubt that Lionel Messi has at least another two Ballon d’Ors in him. While this article covers the reason about why he may never win another one again, this is Lionel Messi we are talking about.

When he plays well, his team automatically wins. This is why the above four sliders could be rendered pointless if he plays well. However, there is always a question of luck favoring a person. Yes, hard work plays a huge role in a person developing her/his career, but nothing is possible without a hint of luck.

For example, no player is above injuries. There have been so many talented stars who couldn’t live up to their potential due to hampering injury problems. While we have been blessed by the blue skies that Messi hasn’t had any serious injuries—and we pray that it never happens—we can never tempt fate.

Luck is always necessary to succeed in life—and it is also necessary for Messi to win some more Ballon d’Ors.