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Henry Winter, editor-in-chief of The Times on why he voted for Leo Messi for the Ballon d'Or.
“This may be the last time we celebrate Messi as the best player in the world, but the issue has nothing to do with nostalgia, nor with clinging to a romance that is fading. Rather, Messi deserves the Ballon d'Or.
When I voted for England for the Ballon d'Or, I thought carefully about the incredible work of Haaland and Mbappé, studied their amazing statistics and best shots, and then came back to Messi.
Messi led Argentina to win the World Cup last season with a performance comparable to Maradona's in the 1986 World Cup.
Football is about titles and Messi's performance in Qatar showed that he deserved first place and six points. Although Messi's career was brilliant with four Champions League titles, he needed a World Cup.
All the pressure was on their shoulders, especially with a young coach like Scaloni and a team that included three important young players in Enzo, Álvarez and Mac Allister. At times, especially after the first surprising loss against Saudi Arabia, Messi was under more pressure, and when his country needed him most, Messi responded.
He won the award for best player in the World Cup and scored 7 goals of quality and variety: long-distance goals against Mexico and Australia, deep goals against France and penalty kicks taken with different left, right, high and low goals. Messi also gave three assists and played every minute of the tournament.
No player has taken more shots on goal than him (32). Only Antoine Griezmann has more key passes than Messi, who has 21. Only Musiala and Mbappé dribbled more than him, and no player was exposed to more fouls than him.
If some of those who mock him might suggest that referees are influenced by his reputation, the reality is that Messi is being attacked and his amazing movements confuse opponents who jump and catch him.
By all standards, Messi was the most effective in the most important tournament in sport, but Messi is not just numbers, he is much more. Messi is poetry. Messi is the one who surprises you. Messi is that sudden burst of speed and that touch to keep the ball away from a defender like Gvardiol.
Messi is a special role model for the younger generation who follows the stars as much as the teams. Attending a match with your team is completely different from another match. “A Messi match in itself is considered an event.”
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