Laughing at the refutation
Lionel Messi once again embraced the Ballon d'Or. Most of the soccer community congratulated him on his win, but some refuted his opinion. In the meantime, "rival" Cristiano Ronaldo attracted fans' attention by acting as if he agreed with such an opinion. Messi held his eighth Ballon d'Or in his career at the 2023 Ballon d'Or Awards held at the Châtelet Theater in Paris on the morning of the 31st (Korea Standard Time). He was awarded from 2009-12, 2015, 2019, and 2021 and proudly maintained his No. 1 position, but added one more in two years. Most soccer superstars celebrated Messi's win. Kylian Mbappe, who had a great match at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and competed for the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, posted a photo of Messi on his social media (SNS), saying, "Congratulations Messi on winning the award." You deserve the award," he applauded. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), who attended the event, also told local media, "The World Cup was held, and Messi finished the tournament fantastically." He deserves the award," he complimented. In addition, Argentine colleagues Christian Romero and Giovanni Lo Celso (Tottenham) also responded, "Fantastic captain, congratulations and appreciation for the award." On the same day, Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) said in an interview with ESPN, "Without Ronaldo, Messi would have won 15 Ballon d'Or awards." However, there were also opinions that refuted Messi's win. In particular, German legend Rotair Mateus said on Sky Sports on the 31st of last month, "Elling Holan (Manchester City) performed better than Messi." (Messi's win) also means the World Cup is important. For me, Holan, who has won three gold medals in Manchester City over the past year, is the best player. I'm also a fan of Messi, but this result is a farce," he countered. As Matheus said, Holland also had a great performance in the 2022-23 season. He scored 52 goals in 53 official games. He won the UEFA Champions League (UCL) top scorer (12 goals) last season and became the club's first European treble (triple crown). Holan was named second in the Ballon d'Or in recognition of his performance. Meanwhile, Ronaldo's move also drew attention after Messi's award news. First, Thomas Lonsero of the Spanish As said on social media, "Messi won the World Cup, but he kicked six penalties. The World Cup was 10 months ago, and now it is November. Of Messi's eight Ballon d'Ors, three should belong to Roberto Lewandowski, Sabi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, he claimed. Ronaldo posted four smiling emojis in the comments. Regarding Ronaldo's behavior, sports media One Football said on the 31st of last month, "Ronaldo seems to have expressed his feelings through SNS," adding, "Ronaldo wore an emoticon in response to remarks that seemed to ignore Messi by As's editor-in-chief Ron Sero." "I can't say that Ronaldo's comment definitely means I agree with the opinion, but it's clear that he gave that impression." he also criticized. Apart from Ronaldo's jealousy, Messi received a standing ovation for his dignified remarks in his acceptance speech. First, he said, "Thanks to you, I'm here. "I want to share the honor with my teammates of the national team," he said. "I don't want to forget Holan and Mbappe, who showed amazing performances. They'll probably get this award in a few years," he praised. Regarding the competition with Ronaldo, he said, "We were both competitive and wanted to win everything, so it helped each other," adding, "I think it was a very beautiful time for people who love soccer." The work we have done is very highly appreciated. "I've been at the top for 10, 15 years, and I think it's a good thing for everyone and a beautiful memory," he said, praising his rival. Meanwhile, Messi's win was predicted to some extent. Messi played well in Paris Saint-Germain (France, PSG), Inter Miami (USA) and Argentina's national team in the 2022-23 season. First, Messi achieved '20-20' with 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 official games at PSG. PSG won the League 1 and France Super Cup. Messi, who has since become a free agent, has challenged the Major League Soccer stage in the U.S. The destination was Inter Miami, where co-owner David Beckham is located. Messi's first test on U.S. soil was the 2023 League Cup. The League Cup is a competition involving 47 teams from MLS and Mexico's Liga MX. If they reach the final, they will be able to qualify for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, which is the equivalent of the Champions League in the Americas. Messi scored 10 goals and one assist in seven games during the tournament, winning the tournament's Most Valuable Player Award and the top scorer's trophy. Since then, Messi has played seven games in the U.S. Open Cup and MLS, scoring one goal and four assists. However, the team failed to advance to the playoffs. Messi was evaluated as a strong candidate for the Ballon d'Or because of his performance at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup. Messi made his fifth World Cup appearance in the captain's armband. The initial outlook was not bright. In the first group match against Saudi Arabia, negative prospects continued, with a shocking upset loss of 1-2. Messi himself overcame the crisis. He scored one goal and one assist in the second group match against Mexico to lead the team to a 2-0 complete victory. He then played full time in the third match against Poland, leading him to the round of 16 tournaments. Since then, Messi has been relentless in his moves. He accumulated offensive points in each game against Australia in the round of 16, against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals (1 goal and 1 assist), and against Croatia in the semifinals (1 goal and 1 assist). The highlight was the final against France. Messi and Angel Di Maria scored back-to-back goals in the first half to lead 2-0. However, Mbappe scored back-to-back goals in the 35th and 36th minutes of the second half, and the game went to extra time. Messi scored his seventh goal of the tournament in the second half of extra time, and Mbappe responded with a hat trick. The match between the two teams was decided in the shootout. Mbappe and Messi, who played as the No. 1 kicker, both succeeded, with two misses coming from France. It was the moment when Messi completed all his milestones. Messi won his second Golden Ball (Best Player Award) with seven goals and three assists in seven World Cup games. Messi is the first player to win the Golden Ball more than two times since it was established in 1982. At the same time, he lost 0-1 during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and washed away the pain of staying in second place. Messi, who has already entered the 36-year-old season, is taking a break after the MLS schedule. As he played the MLS schedule immediately after the 2022-23 season, he had a restless year. And proudly became the star of 2023.