The battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to be the world’s number one over the past decade has been immense. With Messi winning the FIFA World Cup for Argentina last year, the debate seems to have moved in his favour recently, not helped by Ronaldo leaving Manchester United and competing in Saudi Arabia. This was evidenced recently when fans of Ronaldo’s latest team, Al-Nassr, greeted him with chants of ‘Messi!’ during a match as well as when a young fan shouted “Messi is way better” after a victory. While Ronaldo appeared not to take this slight from the fan too seriously, it merely highlights how big a disparity there is between the two footballing superstars at the moment.
Bro is pissed after 3-1 win 🤣🤣🤣🤣 never a team player pic.twitter.com/vf4CTZFqnB
— Dream (@ParisianDream__) March 4, 2023
On Monday, Argentina captain Lionel Messi was recognized with the best FIFA men’s player prize for 2022 during a glittering award ceremony in Paris. This recognition is extra special as it was the second time that Messi has been bestowed with this honour since its inauguration four years ago. His remarkable achievements have included six Ballon d’Or awards, among other remarkable feats. Not even the greatest of players could manage to win this prestigious accolade twice in a row like Messi and we must definitely give him credit for it!
The news of Leo Messi being awarded the Prestigious Ballon d’Or after a gap of 5 years came as a huge shock to his fans across the world. He got the award despite being in competition with extraordinary talent like his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema. Winning an individual award such as this, however, is no coincidence – Messi has been miraculous with his partnerships, consistency and triumphs on the pitch that earned him the distinction. It is remarkable to note that the selection for this honourable award takes into consideration not only points but also votes casted by every national team captain and coach who have seen him play first-hand. This makes it much more special!
It was a surprise to many when Pepe stepped forward as the representative for Portugal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup vote, taking Cristiano Ronaldo’s place. While normally Ronaldo is front and center when it comes to voting for individual awards, he had been left on the sidelines for much of the tournament and Pepe was given his chance in his stead. Perhaps not surprisingly, Pepe opted for the French prodigy Kylian Mbappe first, followed by two of Ronaldo’s Real Madrid teammates – Luka Modric and Karim Benzema. It was a move that said a lot about their background as both nation and club, with their loyalty to each other no matter what battlefield they find themselves on.
