:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/IGCLGQBTERGVTG5IDZLYFNM4JU.jpg "Back on the throne: Lionel Messi and the merits he did to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or")
Lionel Messi he dresses up again to sit on the throne of world football. As has become customary, the Argentine star conquered a new and glorious Golden Ball. The passing of the years does not affect him. His exploits with the ball continue to drag on. And this triumphant 2021 has allowed him to be the owner, for the seventh time, of the prestigious individual award.
34 years are the ones that carry Messi above, but that does not prevent him from continuing to shine with his enormous talent. Obviously, there are as many bad moments as there are good moments. This is how this year has been reflected for the ‘Flea’, who lived episodes of affliction, but also of joy.
In the first months of 2021, for example, the Argentine star had to deal with the terrible present of Barcelona. Things were not going well at all. Nonetheless, .
But this would not last long. The ruin of the club culé was to the total discovered when the ‘Flea’ left definitively in August of this year. Currently, Barcelona is far from the fight for LaLiga and their qualification to the second round of the Champions League is not guaranteed. While Messi remains calmly at PSG.
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Various questions arose on the way after favoritism to Lionel Messi for him to win the Ballon d’Or. On a subjective, and at the same time statistical, terrain, many consider that the Argentine did not deserve that award over Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema and other stars. But, in the end, the Argentine star did it again.
Beyond the incessant criticism, the enormous merits that the ‘Flea’ did this year to be the recipient of the individual award cannot be denied. In bad times and also in good times, he managed to stand out in the best possible way with his teams. For many deserved – and for others not – that Lionel has won the Ballon d’Or is not a coincidence.
The merits that support you
The vast majority of football lovers have been left with the last image of Lionel Messi at PSG, but there is much more to take into account to assess the award won by the Argentine star.
This 2021 has been exceptional. In the midst of the Barcelona crisis, the ‘Flea’ was always present to save his team from complicated situations, although many times it was not enough.
. Thus, the Argentine won his eighth ‘Pichichi’ trophy, a feat that no one has been able to achieve.
| LaLiga 2020/21 scorers | Matches | Goals | Distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1° Lionel Messi | 35 | 30 | Pichichi Trophy |
| 2nd Gerard Moreno | 30 | 23 | Zarra Trophy |
| 3° Karim Benzema | 34 | 23 | – |
If we talk about titles,. In the other tournaments, he was left empty-handed.
However, with the Argentine team the story has been very different. So much so that he was asked to win something in the ‘Albiceleste’, Lionel Messi he was finally able to do it this year with the Copa América title.
The 34-year-old star became champion after several attempts and had a great impact on the title of his team. In fact, he was chosen the best player in the tournament and the statistics backed him up:.
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As if that were not enough, Lionel Messi It has already secured its presence at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. After a great campaign in the Qualifiers, Argentina has guaranteed qualification to the most important event at the national team level. Six goals in 13 games was the contribution of the ‘Flea’ to the albiceleste team.
As for the most important records he broke this year,. In addition, the Argentine can boast of being the top scorer with a single club (672), a trademark registered in Barcelona.
The numbers have also supported him perfectly. In this 2021, Messi’s impressive records have continued, as usual. .
Taking into account all the aforementioned -in addition to his great abilities with the ball-, the best footballer in this calendar year has been Lionel Messi. Only the Polish Robert Lewandowski has been able to fight him with extraordinary statistics and both individual and collective achievements.
| Player | Matches, goals and assists | Titles | Individual achievements | Special records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 56 games: 41 goals and 17 assists | – Copa del Rey (Barcelona) – America’s Cup (Argentina Selection) | – LaLiga Scorer (Pichichi) – Scorer of the Copa América – Top assist of the Copa América – Best player of the Copa América | – Top scorer of a South American team (Argentina) -Top scorer with a single club (Barcelona) |
| Robert Lewandowski | 52 games: 62 goals and 9 assists | – Bundesliga – German Super Cup – Club World Cup (Bayern Munich) | – Bundesliga top scorer – Golden Boot – Golden Player | – Most goals in a Bundesliga season |
| Karim Benzema | 58 games: 43 goals and 14 assists | – UEFA Nations League (Francia) | – | – |
Of course, the present of the Argentine star is relatively irregular, but with each passing day he consolidates better at PSG. Lately he shone with an assists hat-trick for another victory for his team and now he hopes to continue on that path.
The demand is quite high, as the Parisian team dreams of winning everything in their power, especially the Champions League. Therefore, Messi needs to be in his best version – the one that allowed him to win the Ballon d’Or 2021 – to achieve the goals of his new club.
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