Messi left out of 30 candidates for Ballon d 'Or, Argentina reporter: It's a disservice to the game

Lionel Messi, the reigning winner of the UEFA Ballon d 'Or, was not included in either the 15-man shortlist for the award or the 30-man shortlist for the France Football Ballon d 'Or, which favoured him.

The last time a reigning winner was excluded from the list was in 2019, when Luka Modric, who led Croatia to the World Cup final and three consecutive Champions League titles, dropped out of the list for the first time in the history of the Ballon d 'Or following Real Madrid's decline the following season. Before that, it was Marco van Basten in 1993. Van Basten, however, missed most of the season with an ankle injury that left HIM out of the 30-man shortlist.

This year the Ballon d 'Or has changed its rules to the same European and American seasons as the UEFA Best Award. Without a continental competition, the Champions League and the big Five are the most important criteria.

Although both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo changed sides last season, their respective clubs, Greater Paris and Manchester United, also failed to achieve success. Messi, however, was more affected by the aftereffects of the coronavirus, scoring the lowest number of goals since the 2005/06 season (8), half the number of goals in the 2020/21 season (11 goals and 15 assists), and a quarter of the peak of the 2011/12 season. It is the first time he has scored less than 40 goals in a season since 2008/09 and the lowest since 2006/07 (17 goals and 3 assists).

Because Benzema's excellent performance last season, 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 games, the peak data, La Liga, Champions League double, and the Champions League best player title, this year's three individual awards are no doubt. However, as the "reigning" winner of the Ballon d 'Or, Messi even failed to make the shortlist of 30, which is still a sigh of regret.

The Spanish and Argentine media have been at odds. The former believes that Messi's omission is fair enough. Apart from the fact that his attacking figures are far behind those of the other shortlisted attackers, the fact that Messi produced double zero figures in all five of last season's most crucial games in Greater Paris (two legs against Marseille in Ligue 1, Nice in the French Cup and Real Madrid in the Champions League) is more telling. But Argentine media complained that Messi should have been included in the 30 candidates for this year's Ballon d 'Or even if he was at a low ebb and destined to miss out. After all, Messi at least had the Ligue 1 title in hand last season, while Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United were on a losing streak, failing to qualify for the Champions League. TyC reporters were even more scathing, angrily criticizing the Ballon d 'Or award as offensive not only to Messi, but also to football.

But after all, Cristiano Ronaldo has 24 goals and 3 assists, which is among the top three scorers in the Premier League. Compared with the premier league competition, ligue 1 champions gold content is too low, what's more, there are French cup and the champions league to reduce breakdown, in fact, messi himself didn't too care, Argentine said early benzema is that the golden globe for "his unparalleled in this year's performance, and help the team win the European champions. He HAS PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN ALL THE GAMES SINCE THE 1/8 KNOCKOUT ROUND.

Messi's omission from the top 30 for the Ballon d 'Or award is more symbolic than the fact that neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo, who have dominated football's world awards since 2008, are among the top 15 candidates for the UEFA Best Player Award. Messi's omission from the top 30 for the Ballon d 'Or award is the official end of the Mero era.

For Messi, the most important reference for next year's three trophies is the World Cup at the end of this year. Messi has made a good start this season with three goals and one assist in two matches. If he can maintain his consistency and succeed in Qatar like he won the Copa America for Argentina last year, he can continue to be the favorite for the Ballon D 'Or like Karim Benzema. The Ballon d 'Or that combines individual and team performances during the season, rather than the aura of fame, should be the one that fans around the world will admire.