The entire football world was taken aback when it was announced that Lionel Messi had finished 5th in the 2018 Balon d’Or rankings.
Croatia’s Luka Modric won the prestigious honour and was followed up by Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Greizmann and Kylian Mbappe in the voting list.
Lionel Messi, being the footballing enigma that he is either won the individual award 5 times in the last decade or finished second in the rankings behind his professional rival, Ronaldo.
After a year of 51 goals, it was almost a given that the Argentine would be standing on the podium even if he did not win it. Unfortunately, the Balon d’Or not only reflects the individual performances of a single player but also the achievement of his/her team.
Messi might have had yet another successful season as per the stat sheet but he also had his fair share of hiccups. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the most obvious disappointment, where Argentina only reached the Round Of 16s.
Barcelona did win the domestic treble but Ronaldo registered yet another UEFA Champions League trophy with Real Madrid, which often gets the highest order of recognition in European football.
Mbappe and Greizmann, of course, were key figures in the French national squad that ran off with the World Cup title this year.
After a long time of reflecting Messi finally revealed how he felt about his place in the rankings – “I listened to the Golden Ball nominees and I knew I would not be in the fight.”
We all know the South American magician to be a grounded figure. So, take caution to these words for he might be back next year to retake his spot on the throne.
Look at his past 3 games where he already scored 6 times.
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