Lots of controversies have continued to trail the UEFA Best Player award which was given to the Dutch captain and Liverpool's defender Van Djik few days ago. While many expressed their delight and happiness seeing someone beat Messi and Ronaldo to yet another big award, others are of the view that the Argentine is merely a victim of his own greatness.


For over a decade, the football universe have seen two men(not sure many still see them as mortals) spread unparalleled dominance over their peers, for both country and Club, sharing individual accolades between each other and playing the rivalry role to keep each other working hard even more. Year in year out, they outperform almost every other player and the screens have grown used to their presence.


Media outlets gain more traffic and attention anytime names like Messi or Christiano Ronaldo pops up on the headlines. But something is beginning to change as regards the posture of fans towards this duo. People are beginning to grow weary of their continuous display of class and distinction. Some football fans are beginning to wonder if they aren't players other than "Attackers" who also deserves these attention and awards.


It started becoming a topic and a subject of discussion on social media and now, it has gone a long way to influence lots of decisions. People wanna see something novel, they wanna see the player that will topple the decades of reign by the duo, and though it's not a direct campaign, it's tacit effect cannot be swept under the carpet. We've seen goalkeepers, Defenders and Midfielders who have performed exceedingly well, but haven't been able to beat Messi and Ronaldo to individual accolades.


Truth is, the peak of ecstasy in this game is when a goal is scored, and often times, those whose natural roles it is to net these goals are the most conspicuous in the team. When the team isn't doing well, it's often almost traced to inability to score goals, and that's why it's also easier for a striker to earn more criticism than other players in the squad. With each year gone by, Messi has continued to live up to this expectation and even more. Even when Barcelona and Argentina are crawling, he seems to be the only exception to the "flops." But that's by the way.


Of recent, Van Dijk bagged the award for the best UEFA player of the year, an accolade that have raised lots of concern from all quarters. While lots of fans may have expected Lionel Messi to win the award considering his performance in the Champions league last season, others feel it's high time other players started being recognized. Did Van Dijk really perform more than Lionel Messi individually last season in the UEFA champions league or is he just a victim of people growing tired of his excellence?


Perhaps the Argentine is guilty of Law 46 in one of Robert Greene's best selling books "48 laws of power." He is probably appearing too perfect and of course perfection brings envy and jealousy. It's not an attribute of humans and when a mortal appears a bit perfect or even move close to it, it unsettles his fellows and he becomes a victim of their invisible strife. You're totally free to presume that 'am bias in my view, you may be correct.

But I think that a Man deserves whatever he can earn for himself, and no one should be deprived of that simply because he has stayed committed to his course over and over again.