“He didn’t win anything, he was gifted” - Nigerian rapper claims Lionel Messi is ‘FIFA’s creation’, hails Cristiano Ronaldo as ‘true GOAT’

Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or triumph continues to draw contrasting reactions from football lovers across the globe. Nigerian rapper Reminisce, a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, has joined others in lending his voice towards discrediting the Argentine's recent success.

The veteran rapper, whose love for the beautiful game has been evident in the past, believes Lionel Messi was undeserving of his latest Ballon d'Or win. The Nigerian artist claimed that the Argentine was gifted the award among other scathing remarks; before declaring Ronaldo as the one true GOAT.

“He (Messi) didn’t win anything, he was gifted, everybody knows this," Reminisce said on the Zero Conditions Podcast (h/t Essentially Sports) "I said this last year, Cristiano Ronaldo is the one true GOAT, Lionel Messi is FIFA’s creation.”

Recall that Lionel Messi was named the winner of the 2023 Ballon d'Or award in Paris on October 30 after beating stern competition from Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't nominated for this year's award.

With this recent success, the Argentine further demonstrated his grip on the sport's most coveted prize. He's now won the Ballon d'Or eight times in his career - a record that will definitely stand the test of time - considering that his closest rival Cristiano Ronaldo - who has won it five times - is unlikely to win it again.

Both players are already in the twilight of their careers and have already bid farewell to European football. It'd be a miracle if either player makes a comeback to the podium in the coming years.

Debunking Reminisce's controversial take on Lionel Messi's 2023 Ballon d'Or triumph and Cristiano Ronaldo claim

Football is a subjective sport; people's feelings, preferences and biases will always find a way to creep into their judgments. While all opinions should be respected, comments such as Reminisce's shouldn't be left unaddressed as they can easily be debunked.

The Nigerian rapper claimed that Lionel Messi didn't win anything. What facts reveal is that the Argentine did win three honors, namely the World Cup, the Ligue 1 title and the French Super Cup within the period of consideration for the award.

For context, Haaland won just as many trophies with Manchester City while Mbappe had two.

Talking of individual honors, Messi won the World Cup Golden Ball for being the best player in the tournament as well as the Silver Boot for coming second in the goalscoring chart. He was named the best player in the world by FIFA and the IFFHIS while picking up the Laureaus Sportsman of the Year award.

Number-wise, the Argentine bagged 21 goals and 20 assists for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) last season, topping the Ligue 1 assists chart in the process with 15 assists. He also bagged seven goals and three assists for his country at the World Cup.

Obviously, Reminisce alleging that Lionel Messi got favored in the Ballon d'Or race because he's a FIFA creation is unenlightened as the football association has no hand in deciding the Ballon d'Or winner after cutting ties with France Football in 2015.