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Widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi is yet again one of the hot favorites to win the coveted Ballon d'Or award. He has already won the award six times while winning every major club trophy during his tenure at Barcelona.
The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in football. Some of football's finest fight every season to be crowned the best player on the planet. Due to Messi's sheer dominance in Europe, it is hard to talk about the Ballon d'Or without mentioning him.
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Messi has consistently proven that he is still at his very best, and he had a large part to play in Barcelona winning the Copa Del Rey title at the end of the 2020-21 season. In addition to his impact at club level, he led Argentina to a Copa America title in the summer.
It goes without saying that we can never rule out a player like Messi. He has made the Ballon d'Or award his own over the years. However, there are still a few resounding arguments against the Argentine genius lifting the award this time round. On that note, let's take a look at four reasons why Lionel Messi shouldn't win the Ballon d'Or.
#4 Lionel Messi has had a relatively average year
On the surface, this may seem like poor judgment considering Messi has scored 40 goals for his club and country in 2021. But the Argentine maestro has set such lofty standards throughout his career that he is far from matching those sky-high expectations in 2021.
Barcelona had a poor outing under Ronald Koeman, with Messi failing to deliver La Liga success and European glory as the Blaugrana captain. Despite inspiring the Catalan giants to a Copa Del Rey triumph, Messi was subdued in the biggest stages of club football.
Messi is yet to fully find his footing following his move to PSG in the summer. Although he has had a stellar individual campaign, his relativley poor club records might not be enough to win the Ballon d'Or.
#3 Poor run of form with PSG
Messi is yet to return to his very best with PSG. He has undoubtedly taken some time to fit into Mauricio Pochettino's plans and has been injured for a large part of the season so far. The Argentine has yet to score even once in the French top flight so far this season.
Messi has shown patches of brilliance but is yet to find his rhythm in Paris. Despite scoring three goals in two games against Manchester City and RB Leipzig, his poor run of form in Ligue 1 will surely hamper his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or award.
#2 A lack of silverware
There is no doubt how crucial Messi is to his club and country. Messi was the sole driving force in a Barcelona squad that struggled under Ronald Koeman. The Argentine maestro racked up 38 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for the Catalan giants in his last season at the club.
Messi's failures with his national team have always been a point of contention for his critics but the 34-year old finally put an end to his international trophy drought. Messi led La Albiceleste to a Copa America triumph, ending their 28-year wait for the trophy. With four goals and five assists in the tournament, he deservingly won the Golden Boot and the Best Player Award at Copa America 2021.
Despite his success with his nation, a Copa Del Rey trophy for his club might not be enough for Messi to win the Ballon d'Or. The legendary forward failed to win La Liga with Barcelona while succumbing to another failed domestic campaign in the UEFA Champions League.
Moreover, Messi's other competitors in the race for Ballon d'Or have won more trophies and etched their names in the record books with powerful displays. Players like Jorginho have won the UEFA Champions League and Euros titles for their club and country, respectively.
A distinct lack of trophies will undoubtedly hinder Messi's chances of lifting his seventh Ballon d'Or.
#1 Messi's competitors have been sensational
Although Messi's arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo is not a favorite to win the Ballon d'Or this year, there are too many competitors who have enjoyed groundbreaking seasons. There is tough competition from some sensational players this time round, and the margin of victory will be very close no matter who bags the award.
The major threat to the Argentine great is Bayern Munich talisman Robert Lewandowski, but Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Chelsea's Jorginho are not too far behind. There are also resounding arguments regarding N'Golo Kante and Mohamed Salah's push for the Ballon d'Or prize.
Lewandowski has created and broken a plethora of records this past year, which shows how pivotal he has been for the Bavarians. Due to his sensational performance, the Polish sharpshooter is a surely a huge favorite.
Lewandowski scored 48 goals and provided nine assists, breaking Gerd Muller's record of most goals scored (40) in a single Bundesliga season. The 33-year-old is yet to slow down, already finding the net 23 times in the new campaign.
Jorginho has also enjoyed a sensational year, leading his club and country to European success. Meanwhile, Karim Benzema and Mohamed Salah are arguably the two best players in the world at the moment, with the Frenchman leading France to UEFA Nations League glory just months ago.
It is clear that Messi is not alone in the race for Ballon d'Or, and the successes of his competitors might just make him miss out on the coveted award this year.
