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Once again, it was Lionel Messi who picked up the most coveted award in football, winning the Ballon d'Or 2021 in Paris yesterday. There have been a number of differing opinions on who should have won it and who deserved it more. However, it is hard to deny that Lionel Messi has been an excellent and consistent star this year.
With last night's win came the maestro's seventh Ballon d'Or, an unimaginable feat by any standard. No one else, bar Cristiano Ronaldo (5), has won more than three Ballon d'Ors, which only goes to show how extraordinary Lionel Messi is.
In many ways, however, the Argentine magician has fallen below his own superhuman yardstick. Paris Saint-Germain may now boast a Ballon d'Or winner, but he has done too little in Paris for it to even matter.
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Barcelona had little to do with this Ballon d'Or as well, with the club finishing third in La Liga and flunking out of the Champions League. Though he did win the La Liga Golden boot and also the Copa del Rey with Barcelona.
His performances for Argentina this year, when La Albiceleste won the Copa America, were key to him winning the award.
A shoutout from that success should go to Argentina's manager Lionel Scaloni, who certainly deserves an honorary mention in this post. Messi has struggled to win a major tournament with Argentina through much of his career. It was Lionel Scaloni who led the side to a dramatic win against Brazil. Scaloni is arguably one of the best managers to have coached Messi.
On that note, let's take a look at five other such managers:
#5 Alejandro Sabella | Argentina
It hasn't been a bed of roses for the Argentine magician with the national side. Close calls for trophies and near misses for titles have filled Lionel Messi's legendary career since he started playing for La Albiceleste in 2000s. Although his club form saw Barcelona consistently win notable doubles and trebles, the star couldn't replicate it on the international stage.
However, Alejandro Sabella offered Messi the captaincy at Argentina, driving the star to improve on his leadership. In 2014, scintillating performances under Sabella saw Lionel Messi and Argentina get into their first World Cup semi-final since 1990.
They eventually lost to Germany in the final. However, Sabella's achievement of taking la Albiceleste to the brink of World Cup glory must be commended.
#4 Frank Rijkaard | Barcelona
Rijkaard started off at Blaugrana with a difficult debut season as manager in the 2003-04 season. However, he continued in the finest fashion and is credited with starting Barcelona's era of dominance.
While Real Madrid had their Galacticos, Rijkaard had graduates from Barca's famed academy La Masia, as well as quality signings like Ronaldinho. Most notable in the Dutch manager's career was giving Lionel Messi a seat in the first team.
Under Rijkaard's management, Lionel Messi's career at Barcelona sprung quickly and widely. He took La Liga by storm from his debut. Messi and Rijkaard's blistering student-mentor partnership saw the maestro win four trophies. This includes a La Liga and Champions League title.
Aside from the team trophies, Lionel Messi began picking up a flurry of individual awards under Rijkaard. This includes the Don Balon and Golden Boy award.
#3 Ernesto Valverde | Barcelona
The Spanish manager struggled on the domestic front with Barcelona having consecutively lost two Spanish Super Cup El Clasicos. But like Rijkaard, Ernesto Valverde soon found the team's form.
Soon enough, Lionel Messi's goalscoring led the side to casually pick up unbeaten runs in all competitions, season after season. Valverde also led Messi and Blaugrana to a domestic double, winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
Messi's individual awards under Valverde's tutelage were also innumerable. The star attacker picked up his sixth Ballon d'Or and a total of four Golden Boots in Spain and across Europe.
Lionel Messi notably scored a brilliant 112 goals in just 124 appearances for Ernesto Valverde. This cemented the manager's spot as one of the Argentine's best ever coaches.
#2 Luis Enrique | Barcelona
Luis Enrique was the genius who guided Barcelona through a tactical shift. He moved the Blaugrana from their famed tiki-taka to a deadly counter-attacking fluidity. This saw Lionel Messi score 153 goals in only 158 appearances.
Most notably, Messi himself named Luis Enrique as one of the best coaches he has ever worked with, citing the tactical genius as his mentor.
Luis Enrique drove the Barcelona train to an astonishing feat in 2015, with the side winning a highly coveted treble. Numerous trophies flowed into the team, thanks to Enrique's brilliance in the dugouts. Barcelona picked up a trophy in nearly every tournament they participated in.
Lionel Messi won his record fifth Ballon d'Or during this period, alongside numerous other individual awards, thanks to Enrique's mentorship.
#1 Josep Guardiola | Barcelona
Zlatan Ibrahimovic may not like the current Manchester City coach, but Lionel Messi certainly loved him. Pep Guardiola is arguably one of the most successful coaches in the history of football. He made a key tactical change to slot Messi into a central striker's position.
This negatively affected Ibrahimovic, but Messi flourished dramatically, playing as a false nine and seeking deeper positions from his striker role.
It comes as no surprise that Lionel Messi scored 211 goals in just 219 appearances under Guardiola's watch. It's also no surprise that the Argentine magician picked up an astonishing three Ballon d'Ors while Guardiola coached Barcelona.
The team, built around Messi's wizardry, won a historic treble alongside many other trophies. Most popularly, Lionel Messi scored a ridiculous 73 goals in Guardiola's final season at the Camp Nou.
