Messi's first Ballon d'Or: the gold standard

On this day 15 years ago, Argentina icon Lionel Messi won the first of his record-breaking eight Ballon d'Ors.

Transcript

00:00Always I said that the Boulogne d'Or had to be two sections, one from Messi.

00:11That's it. And after that, look for the other one.

00:30For me, always, if you talk to me about Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi, I'll say Messi.

00:49Ronaldo is a great scorer, he shoots, he does everything, he knows how to do everything, but he's not a genius.

00:57Very simple.

01:00Cristiano Ronaldo is a great scorer, he shoots, he does everything, but he's not a genius.

01:10It's a very important award for what it means, recognition, one of the most beautiful awards at the individual level.

01:19But I never read importance, in quotes.

01:22The most important thing for me were the collective awards, to get the group prize.

01:30I'm very happy to have achieved everything in my career.