It's been a season filled with so much fanfare and expectations, disappointments and even Shocks. From the ever frenzy City of Catalonia in Spain, to Barcelona's tsunamic end in the UEFA Champions League at Anfield in England, one man have continued to prove himself worthy of all encomiums, and that's "Lionel Messi."
You just can't conclude a discussion in this beautiful game of soccer without having a recourse or paying homage to the god-like figures that make you stay glued to the screens. You can talk about the dribblings, the free-kicks(even panenka free kicks), the mouthwatering penalties and the jawbreaking goals.
While the debate of who is the G.O.A.T(Greatest Of All Time) persists and drags unending debate from all quarters, Lionel Messi seems to be at the top chart of that saga. Week in week out, year in year out, he keeps doing what he knows how to do best, and that's breaking old records and setting a new one.
Maybe after his era, non may rise again to surpass his feats. But if there ever will be, then that should be Zeus himself, haha... The season is almost over, but for some players, the tail end of the season is no reason to settle for less. The Argentine captain and father of three may have lost out in the Champions League, but he has professionally put the heartbrake behind him and has continued to offer his best for the Spanish giants.
After Iniesta retired from the Camp Nou and handed over the levers of power to the Argentine Legend as the team Captain, many sports analyst and observees sprinkled waters of doubt as regards his leadership capability. Yah, they were of the view that he is quite a calm person and may not be able to motivate the team in the times of trouble. This reasoning to me was a bit shortsighted and a blatant disregard of the Argentine's leadership qualities even without a captain band.
Having made his intention to win a trouble this season known at the beginning of the season, he has thrown all his strength and might into that quest, and even though it didn't turn out the way he wished, he can punch his fist in the air for whatever progress Barcelona made. He remains the heartbeat of the team and popped up in several occasions to be the difference between Barcelona and their opponents.
Road To Sixth Ballon d'Or?
The drums for who will win the next biggest individual award in football have been rolled out, and football enthusiasts, analysts, fans and supporters have started making their predictions on who will possibly emerged this time around. Apart from the incumbent holder of the Prestigious Ballon d'Or Award, the past decade have seen two players dominate the prize, with each winning it five times.
While many have been waiting to see which of these players (Messi and Ronaldo) will break the deadlock, others have already pitched their tent, with the Argentine seeming the favorite to sweep home the Award. No doubt, Messi has been the only reason why Barcelona went that far in the Champions league. From his Hat-trick against Benfica at the early stages to a heart wrecking brace against Liverpool at the Camp Nou, Messi is to me, the most qualified for the prize.
With Christiano Ronaldo having left for Turin, the Argentine captain seems not to enjoy the rivalry the Portuguese afforded him in Spain. He is a King and he has continued to spread his reign in the League. Many would have thought that the Champions league elimination will deal a big blow to whatever remains of Messi's season, however, the Argentine has shown that nothing can stop him from being who he is. The last game against Eiber saw the Barcelona captain net a brace in a match that Barcelona could only salvage a 2-2 draw.
The brace saw him finish the league's top scorer with 36 goals to his name, thereby grabbing the Prize for a record equalling sixth time in La Liga. He is winning it for the third time in a row, and even Ronaldo's presence couldn't stop him two previous years. With the 31 year Old having reached another half century goal mark(50) in 49 games already in all competitions, he is ahead in Europe, and the possibility of anyone beating him now is slim.
Roberto told reporters after seeing Messi bag a double against Eibar: “He never gets tired of scoring goals and that makes football much easier and better for us.” With the Argentine having won the Spanish league and a Copa Del Rey in line, Messi is indeed the favorite for this year's Ballon d'Or Stellar Prize.
Despite being eliminated by in the Champions league, I believe the Argentine legend stands a bigger chance of winning the Ballon d'Or ahead of his presumed opponents in the race(if any though). He has netted 12 goals before his eviction in the Champions league, and I don't see Ronaldo getting close to that figure. Salah, Mane and Firmino have got 4 goals each, and that's a sum total of Messi's. Anyhow you wanna look at it, I think Messi deserves the Award more than any other player.
What's Your Take, Do You Think It Should Be Messi, or Is There a Stronger Contender For The Ballon d'Or Prize? Lemme know your Thought.
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