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Dutch football legend Wesley Sneijder has made strong claims about Lionel Messi winning the 2010 Ballon d'Or, saying that he deserved to win instead. The former Inter Milan and Real Madrid star echoed the sentiment of many in the football world with his claim.
Lionel Messi won a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or award in October this year to crown another impressive year in his career. The Argentine star became the oldest recipient of the award when he beat Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to it this year.
Following the announcement of his success, some disgruntled voices claimed that the Argentine should not have eight Ballons d'Or. One of those was Cristiano Ronaldo, and Wesley Sneijder has now echoed the same in an interview with AlHayah TV, claiming he deserved to win in 2010.
"It was a bit unfair that I wasn’t crowned with the 2010 Ballon d’Or and Messi won it.
"Although I’m not the type of person to cry over it, the Ballon d’Or is an individual award and what I prefer is winning collective trophies. If I had to choose between the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, I would choose the Champions League I achieved. I am very happy with that title.”
Sneijder was the main actor in the Inter Milan side that won an unprecedented treble in 2010 with the UEFA Champions League, Serie A, and Coppa Italia trophies. Playing under Jose Mourinho, Sneijder recorded eight goals and 15 assists for the Nerazzurri in 41 appearances across all competitions.
The Dutchman also tasted success at the international level as he played a starring role for the national team as they reached the World Cup final. They narrowly lost the final to Spain but Sneijder's performance caught the eye. Many expected him to be voted as the Ballon d'Or winner.
Lionel Messi won the award in 2010, his second Ballon d'Or, and has gone on to add six more since then. Sneijder never came close to those heights again from 2010 until he retired from the game in 2019.
Lionel Messi is the second-oldest Ballon d'Or recipient
Lionel Messi won his first Ballon d'Or aged just 23 and 13 years later, has won his eighth. This year's win was likely the most significant to the legendary forward due to its coming after his World Cup exploits last year.
By winning the award this year, the 36-year-old great eclipsed Karim Benzema as the second-oldest winner of the prestigious award. The honor of the oldest winner still belongs to 1956 winner Stanley Matthews, who won it at age 41 as a Blackpool player.
Moving to MLS side Inter Miami in the summer probably eliminates Messi from future Ballon d'Or conversations, but his record of eight will stand for a while. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup nearly three years away, we may yet see the little magician still in action at age 39.
