With an eighth Ballon d’Or won this winter, Lionel Messi has added yet another major achievement to his dynasty. Often considered the best player in the history of football, the Argentine virtuoso has added grist to the mill of his aficionados. However, its detractors do not budge, the Pulga did not deserve to win the last Ballon d’Or like several other editions. In 2019, the former FC Barcelona won the Grail despite the threat Virgil Van Dijk. The Dutch defender, impressive with European champion Liverpool that season, could have deserved this distinction and many wanted to see the defender win it.
Asked by France Football On this subject, the 32-year-old showed respect towards Messi but displayed a slight touch of bitterness: “the 2019 Ballon d’Or? Sometimes people talk to me about it again. But second, it was already very special. There are few players who can say they have been this close to the trophy or have scored as many points (679) in the Ballon d’Or standings. When I was younger, I never thought I could be this high and get this recognition. Never. I really enjoyed it. It gave me a lot of confidence and boosted me to receive another nomination. I hope I can still be. I found myself between two of the five best players of all time (Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, editor’s note). Being there as a defender was already a huge source of pride. If I had deserved it, I would have won it. That’s how I see it. Everything happens for a reason. And frankly, losing to Messi is not the worst thing. Obviously I would have loved to win it, but getting this recognition from the rest of the world is still a huge source of pride.”
