Then there is the discussion on how you even calculate what is meant by the best player in the world. Take Messi, an undoubted genius, a man who has produced feats of magic beyond most ordinary human beings – but surely his success depends on the quality which surrounds him. Would he be able to showcase such skills without Xavi and Andres Iniesta in midfield or Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol ensuring the defense remained tightly shut? Could he repeat those scintillating bursts and sumptuous strikes in a lesser side? Would his goals count just as much if the standard of his teams defense was of a more porous nature? It is, of course, all hypothetical – nobody will ever agree on who is the greatest to have played the game, the Pele vs. Diego Maradona debate still rages to this very day. And that is why this award, is on the whole, rather superfluous. Ronaldo may have won on this occasion but that does not persuade the public that he is a better player than Messi – he has enjoyed a more successful year but would he have won had the Argentine been free of injuries? Would Ronaldo have lifted the trophy if Messi had been anywhere near his physical peak? The answer is probably no. As pleasing as personal triumphs are, nobody who really knows their football will look at how many times a player won this trophy as a primary indicator of their career success. Instead, they will look at league titles, World Cups, domestic cups, international caps, goals scored. There are a whole host of categories to be examined before the words “Ballon” and “d’Or” even creep into the consciousness. Both Messi and Ronaldo will go down in history as great players, but the debate as to who was the greatest will continue to rage for years to come.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 09:59:35 +0000
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