Paris Saint-Germain and Argentine forward the iconic Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or, the title of the footballer of the year for the world’s best footballer player, the seventh time in 2021.
The 65th Ballon d’Or ceremony was held at the Theatre du Chatelet, in Paris, on November 29, 2021.
In women’s football, the Barcelona player Alexia Putellas, the midfielder for the Spain national team and captain of the Primera División club Barcelona, won the glittery trophy for the best female football player in the event.
Polish’s Robert Lewandowski, the counterpart of Messi for the best football player, won the award for the striker of the year but gave a close competition. Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho finished third, and Real Madrid’s French striker Karim Benzema bagged fourth at this event.
After previous years Ballon d’Or ceremony was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the event returned with full enthusiasm for fans this year. The event is considered the most prestigious football ceremony on the planet, and the recognitions are pretty distinguished and estimable.
The Ballon d’Or Award is given by the French football magazine Ballon d’Or every year to the player who successfully performs well in the club or national team. The first to provide this particular award was started in 1956.
One hundred eighty journalists from around the world were called upon to vote and choose the winner of the Ballon d’Or this year.
Messi’s name in the game
The 34-year-old legend Lionel Messi helped his country Argentina win the Copa America, which was played between south America by defeating Brazil on July 10 2021. He bagged the Golden Boot award for his exceptional performance in the game.
In 2021, he scored 40 international goals, of which 28 were for Barcelona, eight for Argentina and four for his new French Club Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi has become the player to receive the Ballon d’Or award the most significant number of times. He has been the legatee of this award previously in 2009, followed by 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019.
After winning the award at the Théâtre du Chatelle in Paris, Messi said: “It’s incredible to be here again. Two years ago, I thought it was the last time I was meeting, and people started asking me when I was going to retire.” But now I am here in Paris, and I am pleased.”
“This year is special for me. First, the Copa America win and now this… The one-zero win against Brazil in Copa America was very special. It was a pleasure for the Argentines to celebrate that victory with seven people It’s hard to say whether this is the best year of my life or not, but because of Argentina winning the title despite tough times and criticism. It’s a special year.”
Messi also appreciated his co-candidates, praised the second runner-up, Poland’s captain Lewandowski, and said, “Robert deserved to win this last year. I would say that it is a proud moment to win this title surpassing it him”.
The very skilled player Lewandowski scored 53 goals for the German Club Bayern 2021, becoming the top goal scorer.
Controversy with Ronaldo
Apart from Messi, 30 more highly skilled and valuable players were also nominated for the Ballon d’Or recognition, including Messi’s arch-rival and world-renowned player Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano has won the award in his name for the best football player in the world presented by Ballon d’Or itself five times. This time, the Manchester United star Ronaldo was far behind in the race to the throne from Messi and did not attend the award ceremony either.
Messi’s victory was, however, not celebrated by Ronaldo, and he posted a lengthy portion of text over social media targeting the organisers of the award show. In his post, he called out Pascal, the editor in Chief of Ballon d’Or, denying the statement that Pascal made last week that said, “Ronaldo’s only goal is that he wants the Ballon d’Or more than Messi.
I know this because he told me about it”. Ronaldo wrote that Pascal only intended to use Ronaldo’s name to increase the publicity and lied. Ronaldo further added, “My career goal is to win matches for myself and my club, to win for those who love me.
I would win many national and international titles. Let me be a good example for the youth. My goal is to have my name written in golden words in the history of football.”
Beyond the tussle
After Messi, Ronaldo has been the most awarded person for the Ballon d’Or award. The fact that both the players have significantly contributed to the field of football is undeniable. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo remain the two most celebrated and valuable players in the history of international football for the years to come.
Nevertheless, of the ups and downs in professional and personal spheres, the exceptional performance of the two have made them rise above any and every pedestal. Indeed, the golden players prove to be a source of inspiration for generations to come.
After receiving the luxurious award of Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi addresses the audience with a token of thanks and presents gratitude for the support and love.
