Messi, from a curious fact to a curse: what surrounds his possible award to the Ballon d’Or

These are strange days for Lionel Messi. The physical discomfort that he drags has caused him to have a bad start to the season with PSG – he missed the last two games – and his presence in the Uruguay vs. Argentina for the Qatar 2022 Qualifiers is not insured. In fact, if the Rio de La Plata classic were not played, the ‘Pulga’ would cut a streak of 30 consecutive official matches defending the ‘Albiceleste’. The last time his team faced a match without him on the field was in the 2-0 loss to Bolivia in La Paz in March 2017. The climate of uncertainty occurs almost 3 weeks after the winner of the Ballon d’Or 2021, award that has him as a favorite.

According to the Argentine media, the man from Rosario performed physical exercises and with a ball at the beginning of the open practice at the national team site in Ezeiza. However, when the coach started formal soccer practice, the 34-year-old attacker retired to another sector to do lighter work alongside Leandro. Walls, his partner from PSG, who is recovering from a tear.

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Although their presence is not one hundred percent confirmed, the technical staff of Lionel Scaloni works day by day watching its evolution from close up. In the background, although there are no public demonstrations even from the medical body, there is an underlying conflict with PSG, which did not hesitate to express in the mouth of Leonardo, its sports director, the disagreement with the trip of the two injured players: Messi and Walls.

Uruguay and Brazil, two rivals “prophets”?

The Argentine team will visit Uruguay this Friday for the Centennial and then host Brazil in San Juan. Two classics in the preview of the delivery of the Golden Ball in Paris. Two encounters that are one deja breasts for the ‘Flea’.

Why? and, why not, ensure the pass to Qatar with dates in advance. At that time it was in two friendlies and scored in both games: 1-0 against Canarinha and 2-2 against Charruas.

La Albiceleste is in second place in the table with 25 points, six less than Scratch. Six points on this double date in November can mean the ticket to the next World Cup to be held next year.

The curse of the Ballon d’Or and the World Cup

The story is quite particular and, for those who do not believe too much in superstitions, it is probably a story without any charm. But, for the others, the question is something else. The Golden Ball He bears a particular curse: the footballer who wins it a year before the World Cup has a hard time in the most important tournament at the national level.

Examples there are many. From english Billy Wright in 1957, passing through the Portuguese Eusebio in 1965, the Dutch Johan Cruyff (1973) and other legend of the stature of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1981), Michael Platini (1985), Marco van Basten (1989), Ronaldo (1997) and Ronaldinho (2005). All of them suffered the “curse” of being chosen the best on the planet one year before a World Cup was held.

In fact, Messi He has already lived the condemnation of being number one. In 2009, before South Africa 2010, he obtained his first Golden Ball. A few months, Tuesday, he said goodbye to the World Cup in the quarterfinals after being eliminated by Germany.

His archrival Cristiano Ronaldo He suffered twice: first in 2013 and then in 2017. On both occasions he lifted the award as a Real Madrid footballer and did badly in the world tournament.