2023 Ballon d'Or: Messi's glorious legacy
Lionel Messi demonstrated his power and influence over world football through his eighth Ballon d'Or award.
At 36, Leo deserves a happy ending to the thread connecting Argentina, Diego Maradona, and the World Cup. A dream ending to an extraordinary career that shows no signs of stopping.
Messi is football.
Julian Marias (1914-2005), the Spanish philosopher, writer, professor, and essayist, once wrote, "Football is a weekly return to childhood." A statement that is undeniably evocative. Today, Lionel Messi periodically transports us back to that dreamy and magical state. Even if he scores the same goal a thousand times, it always seems like a new invention. As long as Messi keeps receiving the ball, the goal will appear.
At 36 years old, Messi has just received his eighth Ballon d'Or. A remarkable achievement, although the voting process is always controversial. Some argue that 2010 should have gone to Xavi or Iniesta, World Cup winners with Spain. Many also believe 2019 should have belonged to Virgil van Dijk, then the world's best defender and Champions League winner with Liverpool. Others think 2021 should have been Robert Lewandowski's honor for his goals for Bayern Munich. But all these years have gone to Messi, widely recognized by sports journalists worldwide.
Some people wonder if the difference in this year's voting is because Messi won a trophy with Inter Miami. In fact, the three months he changed Inter Miami's history and elevated American soccer were not included in the assessment of the 100 journalists invited by France Football to vote. The voting process focused on the previous season, from June 2022 to June 2023. During this period, a gem came to Messi: the 2022 World Cup victory. The Ligue 1 title with PSG was a supplementary factor, but it didn't have a major impact. It was perhaps the least joyful achievement of his career, as the French capital became the only place on the planet he despised, enduring much criticism that Neymar described as "we lived in hell."
Looking back, Messi's career is truly incredible. "La Pulga" won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009, at the age of 22, opening a record streak of four consecutive wins. Of the top 10 that year, seven have since retired. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still quietly vying for the all-time leading goalscorer record. The remaining player is Andres Iniesta, Messi's former teammate and passionate footballer from Pep Guardiola's Barcelona – one of the teams considered the best in history.
World Cup Launchpad
Winning the Ballon d'Or at over the age of 35 is unusual. Only one winner has been older, and that was in the first year France Football awarded the prize in 1956: Stanley Matthews was honored at the age of 41. The record for the youngest winner belongs to Ronaldo de Lima, at the age of 21 in 1997.
The Golden Trophy in Qatar, where he was also honored as the best player of the tournament, paved the way for Messi's return to Paris on October 30th. For the first time since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, the Golden Ball was awarded to the World Cup champion. In 2010, 2014, and 2018, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric, respectively, broke this "tradition." In the eight World Cups from 1978-2006, only three times did the Golden Ball not go to the World Cup champion: In 1978 and 1986, Argentina won the World Cup, but France Football's voting was only for European players, so in 1994, Hristo Stoichkov received the award despite Romario being the best player.
Beyond the World Cup, an iconic title for Argentina and an influence that transcends football, we need to add intangible factors that give Messi an advantage over Erling Haaland, his biggest rival in this poll: artistry, magic, stamina, encyclopedic knowledge of the game, a keen eye for interpreting different moments in each match, and a speed that's 1-2 seconds faster than others. Messi's football is always mysterious and magical.
Messi's season consisted of 54 matches, 37 goals, and 26 assists. Haaland (57 matches, 56 goals, and 9 assists) won the treble with Man City ( Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup), but he didn't make much of an impact with the Norwegian national team. Norway failed to gain promotion to the Nations League and are likely to miss EURO 2024. In the future, Haaland may receive the award, but this year it belongs to Messi.
"I don't want to forget Haaland or Mbappe, who had a spectacular year and in the years to come they will win this award," Messi said. He also didn't forget the player he always ranks as the greatest in history: "I want to mention Diego Maradona. There's no better place to wish him a happy birthday (he was born on October 30th, the day of the award), surrounded by football fans." The Ballon d'Or was also Messi's farewell to Europe as he enjoyed a new moment in America.
