No one said Lionel Messi would compete for the Ballon d’Or award, but his exclusion from the nomination is a controversial decision.
Sooner or later, time will catch up with Lionel Messi. However, his omission from the 2024 Ballon d’Or nomination list is truly controversial. It seems that the Argentine superstar is the victim of bias. There, France Football magazine gives priority to European football.
What Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi have achieved in their careers is unique. Obviously, the moment when Messi and Ronaldo end their peak playing careers is inevitable . But in Messi’s case, he has been the number one star at club and national team level for the past 12 months. It is unfair to leave Messi out of the nomination list.
Messi was crossed out.
He scored eight goals in 12 international appearances in the 2024/25 season. Head coach Lionel Scaloni admitted that “the team is still built around Messi”. Argentina are top of the South American qualifying table for the 2026 World Cup with 15 points from a possible 18. Messi played in five of those six matches. He also put in a stellar performance as Argentina won the 2024 Copa America. Messi was named in the Team of the Tournament, created more chances than any other player (7) and was second in key passes (14), according to Who Scored.
Despite picking up an injury in the Copa America final, Messi has exceeded expectations for the David Beckham-owned side. The former Barcelona star started 12 of Miami’s first 18 MLS games this season, helping them climb to the top of the Eastern Conference. He set a record as the fastest player to be involved in 25 goals in a season. In total, Messi has scored 25 goals in 29 games for Miami , including 10 in their historic Leagues Cup triumph last season.
Messi has won the most Ballon d’Or awards in history with 8 times.
We are not arguing that Messi should win the 2024 Ballon d’Or. There are many leading candidates for the award, such as Vinicius Jr, Rodri and Jude Bellingham. But at least Messi has shown that he is more deserving than many other players. The most controversial name is Vitinha. The Portuguese midfielder only played 28 Ligue 1 games for PSG in the 2023/24 season and did not impress at Euro 2024. It is puzzling that Vitinha was chosen over Messi.
The Ballon d’Or is an award for every player in the world, but perhaps France Football is favoring the European front. Juan Roman Riquelme can prove this assessment is well-founded. The former Barcelona midfielder won 3 national championships and 2 Copa Libertadores titles with Boca Juniors, but was never nominated for the Ballon d’Or, until he moved to Europe to play football. Or most recently, James Rodriguez played excellently at the Copa America but was also overlooked.
Leo clearly deserves to be nominated, even though he himself is no longer too eager for the title.
