Why Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or 2021?

Lionel Messi won the most prestigious individual football award, Ballon d'Or for the seventh time. He is the only one to receive this award for the highest number of times. Cristiano Ronaldo is in second with five.

Some people are happy as the Argentine won the award again while some people have questioned what Leo has done to deserve it.

Without any doubt, 2021 wasn't a vintage year for the 34-year-old. If we travel back in 2009, Barcelona won six trophies in a calendar year. And Messi played the key role that time. 

In 2015, Barca wrapped up their second treble. The Spanish giants won the ligue, Champions league and Copa del Rey. And again it was Messi who helped his club the most with his wild performances.

Therefore, the question popped up that what Messi did to win the Ballon d'Or 2021. Here are some reasons why the Argentine deserves the award more than others.

1. Copa America Champion

After 28 years Argentina won an international trophy. They beat their rivals Brazil in the famous Maracana stadium.

In Copa America 2021, Messi led his team from the front but couldn’t score in the final, but his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate Angel Di Maria’s goal was enough to lift the trophy.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was voted Best Player of the tournament. He won the golden boot for his four goals. Even he assisted five times, the highest by a player in that event. He created 21 chances as well.

2. Copa del Rey Winner

Barcelona finished third in La Liga in the last session. But they won a title with Barcelona last season, despite the mess all around the Camp Nou.

Messi scored twice in the final of the Spanish cup competition, as Barca thrashed Athletic Bilbao by 4-0. 

Yes, it is not the most prestigious trophy. But it’s always better not to finish the session trophyless.

Though Barca finished third in the league, Messi did perform well. He won the Pichichi award as he found the back of the net more than others in the La Liga.

3. Poland knocked out of Euro 2020

Robert Lewandowski would have won the Ballon d'Or in 2020. Unfortunately, it was canceled due to a coronavirus outbreak.

The Bayern Munich star scored 64 times and made 10 assists as well. Messi is not near him according to his goal-scoring record. 

But Poland was knocked out from the first round of the Euro 2020. They lost two matches. The match against Spain resulted in a 1-1 draw. 

Lewandowski scored three goals and performed well but as Poland couldn’t qualify for the next round that impacted him a lot.

That was one of the main reasons why Lewandowski couldn’t win the Ballon d’Or 2021 and on the other hand, Poland’s knock out helped Messi to win the seventh.