Lionel Messi received the Golden Ball trophy for the seventh time and the achievement ended up generating much controversy. Rivaldo, in an interview with Betfair, gave his opinion on the matter and said that the Argentine stood out more for his selection.
“Messi ended up standing out in Argentina’s Copa América campaign, because if we were looking only at club football, he wouldn’t have a chance of winning,” said Rivaldo.
“But, in my opinion, he deserves this award for having won an important title that Argentina has been missing for many years, as well as being the best player at the tournament,” he declared.
The former player recalled that controversy in this type of award is frequent, as it generates debates and disputes by many football lovers in different parts of the world.
“I also think that Karim Benzema had a great season and could fight Lewandowski and Messi for this trophy, but the truth is that only one can win and maybe the fantastic career that the Argentine has been having could also have weighed a little bit in the decision of many judges”, said the five-time champion.
“Messi is still looking for a World Cup that would clearly bring him closer to this status, however, we need to note that there were players who won several Cups, such as Pelé, so I don’t think we can put the Argentine on a higher level than him, for example. ”, he added.
1999 Golden Ball: Rivaldo’s incredible season
“My Ballon d’Or was won in 1999 in a season where I had great prominence in Barcelona’s winning campaign in La Liga. In addition, I ended up winning the Copa América with Brazil being the top scorer in the competition.”
“But I usually say that it was in 2000 that I had my heyday as a player, although that year I didn’t get team titles and that hurt me for this award, which ended up with Luis Figo, who also had an exceptional campaign and crowned with team titles. .”
“To be able to win a Ballon d’Or is something unforgettable, especially when you see that behind them were names like David Beckham or Andriy Shevchenko who at the time were also world stars and the best football was producing at the time.”
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