The America Cup of USA It will be the scene where one of the great battles for the Golden Ball between Vinícius Júnior, the fittest footballer of the moment, and Lionel Messi, considered by many the best in the world while still active.
The Real Madrid forward leads a Brazilian team without Neymar, still out due to a torn cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee, and in the process of rebuilding after a 2023 full of bad news.
Messi spent his last short years at Inter Miami, but as the absolute boss of Argentina, the best team on the planet today, according to FIFA classification, after winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The duel is served. The winner will approach the Ballon d’Or. Messi won the last one, his eighth. Vinicius is chasing the first for himself and the first for Brazil since Kaká won it in 2007.
Vinícius total: goals, assists and titles
The player from São Gonçalo has just had an exceptional season with Real Madrid: champion of the League, the Spanish Super Cup and the European Champions League, being instrumental in the semi-finals and the final against Borussia Dortmund. In total, 24 goals and 9 assists in 39 games.
Its market value reaches 180 million euros. He is one of the four most valuable players along with the Norwegian Erling Haaland (Manchester City), the Englishman Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) and the Frenchman Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), with whom he will share a dressing room starting next year.
But Vinícius, close to turning 24, needs to show in the national team the outstanding level achieved with his club. He has played around 1,700 minutes with the senior team spread over 30 games in which he has barely scored 3 goals. He tiptoed into the 2021 Copa América, being a substitute, and in Qatar he did not shine. In the United States, all the spotlights are on him.
Messi’s eternal aura
At almost 37 years old, Messi faces this Copa América without the pressure of putting on the Albiceleste before Qatar 2022. He arrives liberated and with a more than consolidated group that has already shown its strength in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which leads with five wins and one loss in the six rounds played so far.
At the club level, so far this campaign he has scored 14 goals and given 11 assists in 15 games with Inter Miami between ‘Concachampions’ and the MLS, a championship that is less demanding than the European ones, but increasingly competitive.
And in the selection he maintains the tone. In last Friday’s friendly, won 4-1 against Guatemala, he gave another performance by scoring two goals in 90 minutes of participation.
If he retains the title achieved in 2021 at the expense of Brazil and wins his second Copa América, there will be no shortage of debates about whether Messi deserves to be a candidate for the Ballon d’Or along with Vinícius, Bellingham, Mbappé and the German Toni Kroos.
The last one he won, in 2023, based on the memory of Qatar 2022, has already generated intense controversy in a year in which Haaland won everything with City. But for many coaches, players and journalists, the one from Rosario will be the best ever, playing in Spain, the United States or on Mars.
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Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
