Lionel Messi, the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or, said he is glad to be considered one of the greatest players in the world, but he added that he does not place too much emphasis on individual glory.
On Monday, Messi won the Ballon d’Or trophy for the seventh time, defeating Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, as he was voted to be the world’s finest player.
After dominating LaLiga’s goal-scoring charts last season and winning the Copa America for the first time with his country in July, the Paris St. Germain player added the illustrious trophy to his 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019 victories.
His first Ballon d’Or came at 22 and the most recent at 34. Messi posed with his wife, Antonella, and their three children with all seven Ballon d’Or prizes in a photoshoot at their Paris home.
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“For me, the mere fact that I can be considered or cited as one of the best players in the world is more than enough,” Messi said in an interview with French newspaper L’Equipe.
“I don’t know how to say it so it won’t be misinterpreted… It’s not that I’m not interested, but I don’t attach much importance to it. It doesn’t matter to me if I’m the best or not. And I’ve never tried to be the best either.”
Messi surprised the sports world in the close season when he left his boyhood club Barcelona for PSG on a two-year contract. With 672 goals, he is still Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer.
The 34-year-old is idolised across the world, but he says he does not appreciate offering advise to younger players as a role model.
“I fought for my dreams. At first, it was to be a professional player, then I tried to excel and reach new goals every year,” Messi said.
“In the middle of all this, there is also a part of luck. It also depends on God, I believe he chose for all this to happen to me.”
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Xavi Hernandez’s take on Messi’s Ballon d’Or win
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez believes Lionel Messi deserved to win the Ballon d’Or, calling the Argentine’s record-extending seventh title as ‘football justice’.
“I think it’s football justice. He is the best footballer in the world and the best of all time. And he deserves this seventh award. No doubt about it,” Xavi said.
“We may think that maybe Lewandowski also deserved it, or other players, but this is the same debate every year… The moment they open the envelope and they say Messi won it, then it’s fair.”
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