Ballon d'Or 2021 - A Worthy Choice?

On the 29th November 2021, the results for the Ballon d'Or were announced and it opened room for the discussion; “Who should have won?”

The Ballon d’Or is an award given by France Football and is given to the best football player and is assessed of their performance throughout the year

Out of all 30 nominees, Lionel Messi was awarded the 2021 Ballon d'Or after receiving the most votes. This led social media into a spiral of reasons as to why someone else deserved the award more than Lionel Messi. 

In the past, Messi had won 6 other Ballon d'Or awards, and including this one he now has 7. Many people have said that the runner-up deserved the award more this year, being Robert Lewandowski. 

Previously Robert Lewandowski has been consistent with his goals and overall skills which is the reason as to why many people think he should’ve won the Ballon d’Or.

However, observations show that although Robert Lewandowski was consistent within 2020 and 2021, Lionel Messi has raised the bar and improved his goals and accuracy far more. 

The Ballon d’Or is not only a comment on an individual’s abilities, but how they influence and provide for their team. For example, Robert Lewandowski contributed to his team and helped them win the Bundesliga. Also, Lionel Messi helped and allowed his team, Argentina, to win the South American Tournament 2021 called Copa America.

Overall, I think that Lionel Messi did deserve to win 1st place for the Ballon d’Or however the way it was chosen was subjective to an opinion so the Ballon d’Or could have ultimately been awarded to most of the nominees selected.