It’s hard to see an award list in football that you won’t find Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on top of it. This is a testament of how they have separated themselves from the rest by delivering consistently at the top level over the last decade.
The two have ten Ballon d’Or titles between them with both winning five each. They have also made UEFA individual awards their own with Ronaldo winning three UEFA men’s player of the season award while Messi has won two.
The two have once again been nominated for this season’s award alongside Liverpool’s Van Dijk. The two icons have created a long-standing rivalry and will once go head to head this Friday.
However, while the argument on who is the greatest between the two will never end, it will be a travesty if Messi is not crowned the player of the year given what he achieved last season.
The criteria used by UEFA to determine the winner are based on the players’ performances for both club and country “over the whole season in all competitions.”
Messi was shortlisted alongside Juventus star, Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool defender, Virgil van Dijk for this year’s prestigious award.
Recall that last season, Messi finished in fifth place last year, mirroring his position in the Ballon d’Or final table, while Ronaldo was in the second position behind the winner, Luka Modric. Virgil van Dijk was not in the top 10.
This season, it’s certain that changes are bound to happen for the Argentine forward. Despite failing to make the final of the UEFA Champions League after the team was knocked out in the semi-final stages by Liverpool, the Argentinian maestro netted 12 goals and emerged as the highest goal scorer.
Messi’s performances this season were too otherworldly to be overshadowed by his European disappointment, which is why he remains an overwhelming favourite to win the UEFA Player of the year award.
The Barcelona captain enjoyed an eye-catching individual season, having netted a mind-blowing 51 goals and tallied 15 assists in all competitions for the Catalan giants.
The Argentine’s goal-scoring exploits have led him to the Pichichi trophy and the European Golden Shoe, besides a string of single-handed club victories. The 31-year-old dominated almost every attacking aspect in La Liga, eventually guiding the Spanish titans to the league title, which is his first as captain of the club.
Messi played a key role in Argentina’s semi-final run in the 2019 Copa America tournament, where the team narrowly lost to host and eventual champions, Brazil. But they made up for it, by winning the bronze medal after edging Chile 2-1 in the third-place match.
Without doubt, Messi deserves to win the UEFA Player of the year award ahead of his fellow competitors, Ronaldo, and van Dijk going by the aforementioned achievements of the player last season.
For the records, Messi has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles and six Copas del Rey.
Besides being a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (419), a La Liga and European league season (50), most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (169) and the Copa América (12). He has scored 698 senior career goals for club and country.
This year’s winner will officially be announced at the draw for the group stage of the Champions League in Monaco on August 29 and it is expected that Messi will be crown with the award.
Why?what an insult.
The analysis above is your own view.
why don’t you give a general analysis for each and every one of them and let the readers air their own views
your opinions are baseless and thereby should be disregard.. if I may ask what are the criteria for crowning the world’s best player? you mentioned major trophies won. and that’s correct need I tell you he did not win the UCL nor the COPA AMERICA? he was solid in attack, he delivered the goals and van dijk delivered the results….if attack win you games the defense win you trophies…if you only commend the contribution of the attacking players ,then the defense is not worth playing then. get your fact right bro…if Messi delivered the goals ,Van dijk delivered the results and that’s what matters most.
Youare only busy promoting your august~man Messi.Write full text on CR7,you’ll haveyour favourite dwarfed by the BOAT/GOAT of our football~era-CR7).
Van Dijk was just playing around all those while? We’ll done.
This is individual award please not team award and at same time messi we on trophies too/ with pichichi, European golden shoe, champions league golden boot, so wat again. Dis is messi year pls
Yet Ronaldo achieved the same a new club level in a new team in a very defensive league and has won his second trophy for Portugal while bringing them to the final via a hat trick.
Brother how? Where did you get your stats from? Ronaldo was not even in top 5 highest goal scorer of Seria A the competition he won for Portugal was a 4- team competition with Netherland, Switzerland and England. He didn’t win any pichichi, wasn’t highest goal scorer in any competition in Italy nor in the champions league so please you can do better with your argument.
Messi Fan…
Your one sided view is a clear demonstration of bias! No doubt Messi had a fantastic year but he is doesn’t tick all columns of indices as he was only good for Barcelona fc. You also forgot that it is an award for the just a year as you pervasively reeled out records that are very irrelevant!
For ur information, to u all saying his write up is biased, what is the main criteria for the award? The main criteria is basically individual performances, & clearly without doubts Messi out performed all of them.
This is so funny. You guys know even though Messi might have scored the most goals he won the least amount of silverware out of the other two. He also crashed out three times in the champions league, copa, and a final….
Van dijk also crashed out in league and uefa nation’s cup while Ronaldo crashed out of the main reason Juventus bought him so brus what point are you making?
Europe top scorer:Messi
Laliga top scorer: Messi
Champion league top scorer: Messi
Copa del Rey top scorer : Messi
Even a blind man knows that on an individual level which fifa uses as it’s criteria,no other player came close to Lionel Messi.Messi outscored Ronaldo, Benzema and Suarez combined in goal tally.
Messi was key to Argentina’s semi final run He had one goal which was a penalty that aguero won
If I may ask, how did van dijk deliver any result? Klopp organized his team, Alisson organized his defence (which comprises
4 players). Then midfield and attack did its work.
L10 Messi should win it. Sadly even van dijk thinks so.
hahahaha very funny bro
Pls those of you commending Ronaldo for winning a 4 team tournament and hailing him for going to a club that wins Seria A like sif it’s there birth right and clamoring for him to win the award should please think again. Ronaldo was not even in top 5 highest goal scorer in Italy nor was he part of Seria A best 11 funny enough he was compensated with Seria A best player. We know van dijk is a class player but so are all the players of Liverpool with Salah, Mane who were getting the goals and the job done for Liverpool and Allison as well who was in superb form and keeping goal bound shots out. Why not give them the award? And then finally you have a player that carried his team on his back from start to finish recording the highest goals across all European competitions he played in with fantastic goals and mind cracking assists. See let’s not deceive our self’s we know the truth stats don’t lie. The last 7 competitive matches Barca had played without Messi ended up with 1 draw 5 losses and 1 win wish came against real betis. That shows you what he is all about he creates and convert chances not wait in the box to tap into an empty net.
Please stop arguing, if you don’t know the players stat for last season check first before you come and argue cos some people no like simple truth and they no wan dey use their ear hear say MESSI cos of what he does to there clubs season in season out ( Manchester boys and Arsenal boys).
messsi for the win
All three deserved the award,
But in terms of individual performance,no doubt it’s messi. but he only won la-liga.
but last year the criteria has change,
Cr7 deserve it more bcos he move out of his comfort zone and still won league and cup with Juve, he also won the first edition of the uefa nation league with Portugal
He won with Jive team as a whole and not singlehandedly!!
I don’t know why people say he left his comfort zone he left real Madrid where he played for 9 years and only won 2 laliga titles and went to Juventus where they have been winning it for the past 7 years before he arrived cos he was afraid of the potential arrival of Neymar and hazard so he went to the only club that can guarantee him trophy if he was looking to leave his comfort zone then he should have gone to Ac Milan pr Lazio
Give it to Leo
Of course Messi is the best
Ahmad aljanzory
Stop pushing people to think Messi deserves everything. Stop being biased.
Van Dijk deserves it.
ridiculous to find out this kind of writer you have…. Gonna market to dislike and unfollow this page…. reporters arent hired to show their own perspective ??? Messi played big role in Argentina’s semi final reach???? u freaking kidding me??? Do u even know how to spell football??? Utter rubbish
the award is messi’s and no other person deserve it if we must b sincere
Ronaldo All The Way
messi deserves the award his contrubution were so vital in winning games
I should say you’re mentally retarded, stop being bias. Messi’s performance was good, but he didn’t do it alone, Barca players where trying by all means to make him super yet it failed them, e.g the game against Liverpool, Biscuit got a chance for an away goal, yet he was intimidated by the clubs point of making Messi look better, instead of scoring he gave Messi who messed up. Although he usually score more goals than CR7 at La liga, he was better now coz he’s being a free man without CR7. The point is, Messi has no competitor at La liga and Barca finds it hard to win a game without Messi because they’re used of giving him to score which makes Messi looks better but yet its the reason of their Champions league failure. About Virgil, he was good but If Man City would’ve won the Champions league, it would’ve been Kompany as the best Defender last season. Talking about Cristiano Ronaldo 7,,, he’s been terrific last season. He went to a new Club (Juventus) and won the league (serie A) which isn’t an easy thing coz some players have to adopt 1st. As history repeats itself he came back against the worlds best Defending team (Atlentico Madrid) with a hattrick at the Champions league,,, he wasn’t the Champions league top goalscorer as usual because he was more of a team player (no selfish). He defeated Virgil at the Nations league, infact he won, Messi failed to defeat Virgil on the Champions league. La liga turns out to be more simple than Serie A lately, if one can notice that.
If there are players to be compared last season, it’s CR7 and Virgil. They all have won what they had to win, Messi too. But the Difference is that both Messi and CR7 lost the champions league and virgil won which makes him 1st, but Ronaldo won the nations Cup against Virgil, he shield him from 1st back to 2nd because they only had that chance to prove and it turns out to Portugal’s victory against Netherland, Messi once again failed the international trophy (Copa America) which was awful that he had to resurrect himself with a bad comment for a professional soccer player. Just admit it people, CR7 deserves it, he won all the possible cups he had to win, unlike Virgil who won all the possible cups too, but failed 1 against CR7 and yet won the champions league,,, so the question is,,, is it CR7 or Virgil..?
Yes he does, he is the best soccer player in the world and he has always been better that Ronaldo. Back off Messi Haters.
Messi mighty jljare
Messi Mighty
Who’s dat dumb ass mentioning Ronaldo saying Ronaldo deserves it. Deserves wat???? When he couldn’t even make d Champions league semifinal and since when did d UEFA nations league become d world. U also said Barca players make Messi look better. damn!!! are u on weed. Go take a chill pill.
Believe me you CR7 deserves to win this award coz u know wat ??????????…….ain’t even going to start spilling out wat he achieved last season inspite of the fact that he changed the club in a new league(emphasis)……….pliz try looking for his achievements on google for the non-believers and then you will finally conclude by u r self that CR7 is quite simply the best and thus a deserving winner.
Messi achieved shit with Argentina. And you are saying he deserves to be the winner. Don’t get high and write articles like this.
the best of king Messi the goat is undisputed
Messi when you think of individual performance the King surpassed everyone include a combined of the entire juve team not talkless to a player who run over successful club and there bearing he’s out for new challenges why not help Palermo on intermilan if that be the case fake cr7 Messi is the only one according to the criteria of UEFA
Messi when you think of individual performance the King surpassed everyone include a combined of the entire juve team not talkless to a player who run over successful club and there bearing he’s out for new challenges why not help Palermo on intermilan if that be the case fake cr7 Messi is the only one according to the criteria of UEFA
it’s true man, this people they just don’t want messi anymore otherwise Messi deserved it.