The Golden Ball? Messi doesn’t feel like defending, he’s very clear about the winner

Lionel Messi has had his first season away from Barcelona. At PSG, he hasn’t been able to build on his phenomenal numbers in Catalonia, but he certainly hasn’t disgraced himself. However, his performances will probably not be enough to defend the Ballon d’Or. He himself is clear about the winner.

When Lionel Messi left Barcelona, the whole football world was talking about it. Everyone wanted to know if the best player in football history could acclimatise and establish himself elsewhere than in Catalonia. And the answer is clear. It took a while, but he did it in the end.

He found his place in the PSG team, he was able to adapt to the game of the new team and the new team was able to adapt to him. It’s far from perfect, but there is hope. Messi doesn’t get to finish as much and doesn’t score as many goals, but his creativity shines through all the more.

In 34 competitive games for PSG, Messi has netted 11 goals and added a magnificent 14 assists. He has also created many chances for his teammates that were not converted. On virtually all statistical servers, Messi is not only one of the best players in France, but in the whole of Europe.

However, this will probably not be enough to defend the Ballon d’Or. In this respect, other names are more likely to be mentioned and the Argentine himself is at least clear about the potential winner. At least he revealed that in a recent interview.

“It’s quite clear that Karim Benzema has had a spectacular year. He managed to win the Champions League as well, being the main driver in the knockout phase. I think there can be no doubt about the winner of the Ballon d’Or this year,” Messi expressed to TYC Sports.

Benzema has indeed had the best season of his career, scoring 44 goals in 46 games, adding 15 assists. He also added winning the Champions League to winning the league title. So it seems that he is indeed the hottest candidate to win the most prestigious individual award.

Source: TYC Sports