It’s always interesting when the issue of the best football player in the world comes up. The fact that two cracking athletes grew up and developed in football at the same time, and they have had a swapping of the award from year to year. Is it Messi? Is it Ronaldo? The debate has raged for years. Because they grew up and kept performing at the highest level at the same time of their lives, it’s been an exciting neck-on-neck tie.
This year, the Balon d’Or awards didn’t fail to excite. So Messi won it. Ronaldo didn’t come anywhere near it. But he still had his say, what with his reaction to the comments of the Awards Chief Pascal Ferre. Ronaldo took time off the difficult time he’s clearly having with his club, Manchester United, to have a right old rant at the France Football editor who made comments about him and his seeming obsession with winning awards.
But the real debate was on the eventual winner of the award – Leo Messi. The Argentine little magician won it for the seventh time – historic, unprecedented. And you’ve got to doff your hat for him.
After many years of trying on the international platform, in spite of his many successes at club level with Barcelona, he finally won proper silverware with his Argentina national team. And it was pleasing to see. I’ve always been a Messi fan. Even in the drawn-out debate, I referred to earlier, I was always on the side of Messi over Ronaldo. I just think that football comes very naturally to the little man. His skills, his technique, his awareness and ability, and finesse……they are all naturally honed. And it is always a joy to watch when it comes good….and it came good so many times over the years.
So like Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola said in the week, no one can argue, dispute or fight when an award is given to Leo Messi because he is Messi after all.
But somehow this year, it didn’t feel right. Messi now an enigma, but in this calendar year, some players did a bit more to deserve it than he did. Like the lethal Polish striker Lewandowski. He must be wondering what on earth he needs to do to be recognised globally. How many more does he need to score? I watch that guy and wonder….what planet is he really from? He’s steady, he’s good, and a perfect example for any young striker who really wants to master how to finish in front of goal. He won things and broke all manner of records. But nope, he didn’t win.
What about the under-celebrated player from my beloved club Chelsea? Don’t laugh….Jorginho. DO NOT LAUGH. Football is a game of results. This guy won the UEFA Champions League AND the European Championships in the same season, as an important member of his Chelsea and Italian squads respectively. Oh….because he didn’t score the goals like Lewy, Messi or Mbape? Come on….is the game not about results?
And if you look at the grass-to-grace story of Edouard Mendy, and how he’s blossomed into a fully respected and respectable goalkeeper in the world, who will most likely play himself into the reckoning to be a member of the African football Hall of fame the way he’s going and if he continues like this, how he’s blossomed into a fully respected and respectable goalkeeper in the world, helping Chelsea to that Champions League triumph, is the central figure responsible and accountable for a run of 31 clean sheets from his manager Thomas Tuchel’s first 50 games in 2021…(yes, THIRTY-ONE out of FIFTY), this guy is worthy of a mention too.
But Messi got it. Why? Because it was done democratically. People voted. Voted by journalists. Voted by coaches. (I wonder who you would have voted if you, potentially as a member of the African Football Scouts and Coaches Association, would have voted if the chance was extended to you). And the majority of those who voted loved Messi and what he did in the Copa more than Lewy in FC Bayern, Mendy or Jorginho in Chelsea, or the grumpy CR in Manchester! It is what it is – democracy.
In everyday life, we have a Messi everywhere. Many who are good at what we do and get rewarded. But also there are many Lewandowski’s in life. Brilliant at what we do, can’t do much more than we are doing, yet we lose out on the big prizes to others. What do we do? Adopt the mindset of Robert Lewandowski; adopt the mindset of Jorginho, of Mendy – of the many people who are doing their very best, set in their minds and determined to be winners, to be the best they can be at what they do, and allowing things to take a natural turn
Kudos to Messi, he won and he’s a true legend. Now as for you and I, let us fix our minds on being the best we can be at what we do, satisfy ourselves that we can’t do anymore even if we tried, and…..do away with the toxic elements that might want to impede our progress. Can’t do away with them? Then do away with the thought and feeling that these toxic elements can not possibly be important and we can’t possibly allow toxicity to take root in our lives. Messi didn’t, and that is why he is waxing strong, even when the odds were against him. People refused to let him go. And sure he couldn’t turn down the votes. But one thing he did at all times was what I want you to always do – give his best, and looked forward with positivity and a winner’s resilient mindset – and like it did to him many times, your wins will come!
Have you heard of the African Football Club? A club where everyone parleys and enjoys camaraderie, networks, deliberates and share a common interest in the growth of Africa through football? Email Club@theafricanfootballclub.com and become a part of a football club where every member is a player!