malvernmugadzikwa
The Art of Sport
Arthur Choga
THE media and social spaces were awash with news on reactions to Lionel Messi’s feat — winning his eighth World Player of the Year title.
I will say from the onset that I believe Messi sits comfortably among the top five greatest footballers to have ever played the game.
He has produced numerous moments of magic and has won many titles and fans for the teams he has played for.
He is a legend — a real one, not the ones thrown around after a season or two.
He won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 when he was 22 years old.
This would mean he has been at the top of the game for 14 years.
Give that some thought.
He was in a team that featured Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thierry Henry as his supporting acts upfront, with a midfield engine room that featured the tireless Seydou Keita and Sergio Busquets, as well as the skill and guile of Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.
His defenders included Dani Alves, Rafael Marquez, Eric Abidal and Gerard Pique, among others.
None of the players featured there can legitimately claim to be still at the peak of their powers.
In fact, Xavi is now in his second season as manager of Barcelona.
The kind of longevity and sustained brilliance the Ballon d’Or organisers are trying to get us to believe is not respectful.
I do not think he is still the best player in the world today.
And I do not think he was the best player in the Argentina team that won the World Cup in Qatar last year.
He was indeed influential but was he the best?
This year’s Ballon d’Or felt like an obligatory homage to a great star.
It played out like a sentimental reverence to a star footballer who finally secured the sacred trophy (for his nation) that has been eluding him all his career.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland was nine years old when Messi won his first Ballon d’Or.
This year, he had a strong case to be called the best in the world.
His goals took Manchester City to the pinnacle of European football.
He also led them as they won their first-ever UEFA Champions League.
Jude Bellingham was a six-year-old when Messi won his first Ballon d’Or and was easily the best English player at the last World Cup, as well as one of the highlights of the tournament at the age of 19.
His performances for Borussia Dortmund stood out above Messi’s at Paris Saint-Germain.
His current season with Real Madrid is exceptional.
But Messi spent the last two seasons at an underwhelming PSG side, where he was consistently outperformed by Kylian Mbappe to the extent that fans began booing him.
It is not rational and acceptable to believe that with these footballers playing at the highest level of the game, they are still not yet good enough to be better than what Messi was in the last year.
Last weekend, the Rugby World Cup ended with South Africa’s Springboks retaining the trophy.
At the World Rugby awards, the organisers did not hand the Player of the Year trophy to Siya Kolisi because of his inspirational leadership and commitment to the national cause.
They gave it to back-row superstar Ardie Savea of New Zealand, the side that was defeated by South Africa in the final.
The rugby situation goes even further with only one South African player — lock Eben Etzebeth — in the Team of the Tournament.
This has caused an uproar, but I believe it also means South Africa have been an outstanding team, with the collective being far greater than its individual parts.
This should have made their coaches the best in the world then, if they were able to turn players who do not stand out as individuals into world champions.
I love Messi for the way he has played the game.
He has shown an amazing skillset, the kind we are unlikely to see anytime soon.
His clear love for the game was infectious and he is a great ambassador for football.
I respect him for the way he has kept his personal brand largely spotless.
I admire his passion for his nation and there is a lot to learn from his business management model. He is a true great.
However, I just do not believe he was the best in the world this year.
■ Feedback: [email protected]
Online Reporter