Messi dominating LaLiga last season like no other player did in any of Europe's top league...
Says everything that performances in domestic campaigns means fuck all.
Only performancs in UCL KO-stage or WC/Euro/Copa matters in order to win Ballon d'or or at least becoming top 3.
In a maths way, it will be simpler for people to except something like:
1. winning a domestic league=2 points
2. playing extremely well as an individual in a domestic league=2 points
3. winning a Champions league=3 points
4. playing extremely well in a Champions league as an individual=3 points
5. winning a World cup=5 points
6. playing extremely well at a World cup as an individual=3 points
7. add some points for marketing, politics, popularity
This is just my personal rough idea and estimation, of course.
Messi this year:
La liga 2 points, individual in La liga 2 points, nothing more=4 points
Cr7:
Individual in La Liga 2 points, CL win 3 points, CL individual 3 points=8 points
Modric:
Individual in La Liga 0-1 points, CL win 3 points, CL individual 2-3 point, WC final 3 points, WC individual 3 points=11-13 points
Mbappe:
Domestic title 2 points, individual in domestic 1 point, WC win 4 points, Wc individual 4 points=10-11 points
Griezmann:
Wc title 4 points, WC individual 4 points=8 points
Salah:
Individual domestic 2 points, CL final 1-2 points, CL individual 1 point, 0 points for a WC=4-5 points
You guys have to accept a pecking order:
1. WC titles and performances
2. general individual performances, MOSTLY at WC and a CL, not that much in a domestic league against smaller clubs
3. CL titles
4. league titles
I will sound like a dick, but to some extent, judges and average football fans don't rate good matches against Las Palmas and Getafe as much as CL quarters, semis, finals and WC matches, for a reason.
When Messi was winning BallonDOrs, Barca was winning La Ligas, we were winning Cls, or we were at least close to it.
In the last few years, we are nowhere near winning CL's.
In La liga we are winning but not in a way as before.
And Messi's level has dropped a lot compared to his level from 5-10 years ago.
He is still on a good level in La liga, where the opponents are weaker.
In a CL knockout stage and at WC, he is rarely presenting crazy one-man-show matches like 5-10 years ago.
You can blame it only on EV, but BOTH Messi's level has dropped and Barca's level has dropped.
The fact is, the Ballon d'Or (and Fifa's Best) overemphasize the CL and WC.
As I have said, IMO, majority of you are biased.
Do you know how we are making fun of French league, and calling it a farmer's league?
And we say that wins and goals in La Ligue don't matter since the opponents are very weak?
Well, to some extent, La Liga (and all domestic competitions) are "farmer's leagues" compared to a CL and World cups.
People will reply: yes, but you are playing La liga for 10 Months. You need consistency!
True.
But still, 80% of matches in La liga are against Getafe, Levante, Girona, Las Palmas and similar. Against very weak and poor clubs with mediocre players.
Being excellent for 10 Months against weak sides is realistically nowhere near as important as knocking out Juve, AM, Real, Barca, Liverpool, Chelsea, City, Bayern in a CL knockout matches.
Not to mention a World cup.
Some will reply: Argentina sucks, yadda yadda yadda.
Fine, but Barca has the best team in the world, according to some fans here.
We have the best team and Messi and yet, we won only 1 CL in 7 years.
My point is: ok, Argentina is average compared to France.
But Barca is superior to AM, Dortmund, Psg, Roma, Juve, English teams, and we still won only 1 CL in 7 years.
This is not only about Messi.
The point is: you have to come and prove yourself over and over at the biggest stage.
And both Barca and Messi have failed in that in majority of the last 7 years.
So, maybe BallonDOr is not that corrupted and dirty.
We just didn't show too much apart from trashing La liga teams over and over and losing in a CL in same fashion year after year whenever we meet a first decent opponent.
