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- Oct 22, 2010
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It was always heavily political, at least previously there was little doubt Ronaldo/Messi we’re individually levels above everyone so it didn’t really matter who won it.
When neither Xavi/Iniesta won it after doing a Euros,WC, Euros clean sweep plus matching Messi’s domestic trophy haul, it seemed like maybe they were just going off stats/who scored the most and trophies didn’t really matter…Lewa not winning this year (regardless of being robbed by covid last year) then makes it more confusing. Now Messi/Ronaldo are both over hill (yes they’re still great but both way off where they were, naturally so) and one still wins it - essentially for finally winning the Copa you then refer back to Xavi/Iniesta not winning it despite winning superior trophies and ask the question…why does anyone even put value on the BdO?
In terms of club seasons, Lewandowski was better than Messi (55 vs 52 G+A, Barca failed in the league while Bayern failed in the CL), in the international tournament Messi had the most goals, assists, MotMs, overall best player, and won the trophy - quite a performance, which nobody came close to in the Euros.
Among the other standout players from last season - Benzema played great but won nothing, Gundogan???, Haaland scored a ton but won nothing and didn't make a mark in the CL KOs (his biggest stage), Jorginho got all the medals but wasn't the star for either club or country, Ronaldo scored a ton but Juve lost for the first time in forever.
I think Messi is a fair call, same as Lewa. Statistically way ahead of the rest of the field, choosing one depends on weighing Bayern's millionth-in-a-row league win over Argentina's rare Copa.
I think a few things went against Xavi/Iniesta - they're two people, hard to definitively choose one and say he was the best that year, whereas Messi's performance was always more individual, bias against non-goalscorers, and, finally, when the three were on the same team, there was one clear standout. I wanted Sneijder to win in 2010 (treble and WC final) but going back and watching Messi's absurd club season - can't really argue.