COLUMN: Lionel Messi is among the greatest, but not yet the best
El maestro has done it again.
Lionel Messi, the Argentine sensation, was named the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or winner, an award given annually by FIFA, soccer’s governing body, to the player of the year.
At just 24 years of age, it’s already Messi’s third Ballon d’Or in a row and third overall. With this most recent award, he becomes the first player since the award’s inception in 1991 to win three years in a row.
In the three years that Messi has won the Ballon d’Or, he’s also led Barcelona to three consecutive championships in Spain’s domestic league, known as La Liga, and two Champions League titles. Oh, and he has scored 142 goals in the last three seasons, averaging just under one a game.
He’s the next Maradona right? Maybe the best we’ve seen in the past 20 years?
Not yet.
He very well could be, but he’s still got some work to do.
In the last 20 years there have been two other players that have won the Ballon d’Or three times — the aforementioned Messi, Ronaldo of Brazil and France’s Zinedine Zidane — pretty impressive company to say the least. Ronaldo won the award in 1996, 1997 and 2002, and Zidane took home the honors in 1998, 2000 and 2003.
While simply winning the Ballon d’Or once doesn’t necessarily mean greatness, three times surely must, and these three players are without doubt the greatest of the past 25 years. But is Messi really the best of the bunch? Has he already eclipsed Ronaldo and Zidane, let alone Maradona?
Not yet.
The part that he’s played in bringing Barcelona three consecutive titles in La Liga and two Champions League titles has indeed been impressive. His play at times has been magical and almost impossible. His goal tallies have indeed been stunning.
For all those domestic successes, though, he’s most certainly not alone. Zidane won a Champions League title, too. Zidane and Ronaldo both led their clubs to consecutive domestic league titles. His goal tally is indeed impressive, but Ronaldo has produced similar tallies, and Zidane couldn’t be expected to in his midfield role.
It seems, then, that the determining factor has to be international soccer. How have these three stars fared on soccer’s biggest stage?
Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, with 15 goals in three competitions. Zidane has five goals and Messi has one.
Zidane has a World Cup trophy, three World Cup Final goals, a World Cup runners-up medal and one European Cup trophy to his name.
Ronaldo also has a World Cup trophy, two World Cup Final goals, a World Cup runners-up medal and two Copa America trophies to his name.
Messi has never made it past the quarter-finals in the World Cup and has no Copa America trophies to his name.
On the biggest stages, the truly great players shine.
For Ronaldo and Zidane, that has been the case. For Messi, however, that’s the one area where he’s got some work to do. If he wants to surpass the great players of our day, he’s got to be able to continue his dominance of domestic soccer and still elevate his game on the international level. He’s got to find a way to get Argentina a Copa America title, and he’s got to find a way to lead them past the quarter-finals in the World Cup.
Messi is a great soccer player, but before he can be the next Maradona or even the best player in the past 20 years, he’s got to prove himself on the biggest stage — the World Cup and the Copa America.
– Spencer is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. He supports Manchester United and hopes to live long enough to watch the Cubs win a World Series. Send any comments to eliason.wright3@aggiemail.usu.edu.