- today
Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d'Or.
In a career that's spanned over 15 amazing years, we decided to take a look back at his best years and rank them!
In a career that's spanned over 15 amazing years, we decided to take a look back at his best years and rank them!
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00:00Hello everybody Adam here again from 442 now if you've not been following the news this week
00:10then you might not have heard that mr. Lionel Messi right there won the Ballon d'Or again yeah
00:22I mean it was no surprise really cause Fabrizio Romano decided to tell us all a week ago so you
00:28know no one was really shocked but the debate has obviously been whether it should have been him
00:33or whether it should have been Erling Haaland or perhaps someone else Kylian Mbappe perhaps
00:37I don't want to really get into that because at the end of the day it is a little bit tedious
00:42they're all very good players and Lionel Messi is the best player I've ever seen in my life so him
00:46winning the award off the back of a World Cup for me is not the end of the world so I thought why not
00:52do something a little bit different and rank all of Messi's eight Ballon d'Or wins from season to
00:57season based on the achievements he got in that year as well as the goals as well that he scored
01:02his general play just how good he was and which ones were the most significant in his journey so
01:08yeah let's have a go at it so in at number eight and his worst of the eight Ballon d'Ors I've gone
01:14for 2021 that was the year where he scored 43 goals and won the Copa America for Argentina which was of
01:21course a very very significant moment of course they didn't win international trophies under Lionel
01:26Messi other than the Olympic Games if you want to count that but I don't personally um he did win
01:32the Copa America go in 2021 which was a seismic moment for his career because people had always
01:37doubted him on the international stage obviously you remember in 2016 he actually retired from the
01:42Argentinian national team and then obviously came back when they were like mate we need you but he
01:48returned and he returned in style winning the Copa America but I've put it eighth because
01:53Emi Martinez also played a massive part in that Copa America win with the shootout save against
01:58Colombia and other amazing saves I mean he's a fantastic goalkeeper full stop and also 2020 and
02:042021 as everyone watching this video will know it was just a weird period of history in general and
02:10life in general but also football in history I mean games behind closed doors so I feel like the
02:15validity of any competition that was won in that year is like slightly slightly slightly not tarnished but
02:23just like not as impressive as the years where it was played in front of fans and of course as well
02:29he did leave Barcelona in 2021 as well which was the end of an era a very sad and an unfitting ending
02:35for Messi really after what he did in a Barcelona shirt so for all those things intertwined it was
02:40nice for him to win that Ballon d'Or in 2021 with the Copa America but I think out of the eight
02:44it was his worst one probably but you know I'd still take it if I was him okay in at number seven
02:51I've gone for this year 2023 the one that has just gone and the one where people were saying it
02:56was a robbery it was this Harlan should have won it duh duh duh duh duh look end of the day he still
03:00won the World Cup which is better than the Copa America and he got 46 goals and assists in all
03:06competitions throughout the calendar year which is still very impressive for a 35 year old who's now
03:11playing a deeper role in the pitch he's not as advanced as he used to be in the old Barcelona teams
03:16the Pep Guardiola teams playing right wing centre forward you name it he plays a deep line role now and
03:21obviously at PSG that worked really well finding Mbappe over with those floated balls but listen
03:26in the World Cup he was a man mountain and he did carry them in certain games I remember the
03:32Netherlands game where he played that defense splitting pass through Nathan Ake's legs scored
03:36the penalty and he felt like a bit of a new man this year he was giving a bit of stick to Louis
03:40Evangelia he called Vechorst a uh yeah a bobo uh which means a fool or an idiot I believe in
03:54English but uh yeah very unlike Messi when uh people used to characterize him as a quiet man
03:58but regardless a seismic year for him and one that really capped off his career in the perfect fashion
04:04really it was a perfect ending for him um cemented his status as the GOAT I mean I personally think it
04:09was cemented anyway um you know it was probably cemented in about 2012 to be honest but we'll get
04:16on to that later on all right then in at number six I've gone for 2009 which was his first of all
04:22eight Ballon d'Ors and of course you remember this as the year where he won his well not his first
04:27Champions League technically because he did get a medal in 2006 but his first Champions League
04:31where he was a mainstay in the team playing under Pep Guardiola that treble winning side
04:36and playing from the right wing as well he's just 21 he got 41 goals from right wing the right back
04:42right wing that season um which is ridiculous you know you think about the numbers that modern day
04:48wingers put up from wide positions no one can really compete with him and of course 2009 was the
04:54year of that famous game in Rome against Manchester United which really birthed the Messi and Ronaldo era
04:59so that had so much significance for the next 10 years of football that it definitely ranks
05:03middle of the list I would say we know Ronaldo was going to move to Real Madrid anyway had Manchester
05:08United won that final but listen it set the precedent then you had Ronaldo won that Ballon d'Or in 08
05:14then Messi in 09 and then we didn't see another winner until 10 years later with Luka Modric in 2018 which
05:19is just ridiculous all right then in at number five this is where it gets really tricky I've gone for
05:252010 next now let's have a look at what he did that year so this was obviously the famous year
05:31where Zlatan Ibrahimović signed for Barcelona and was playing under Pep Guardiola I'll say playing he
05:36only played a handful of games before Messi then moved to centre forward and there was a bit of a
05:40rift there obviously very very well documented in the past but he started playing centre forward
05:44and from scoring 41 goals at right wing the season before he then scored 58 from centre forward that
05:50season and it's when people were really like oh my god he is good this was also a massive year for
05:56Messi because it was really the year where people started to discuss him as potentially the best
06:00player that's ever played football at the age of 22 which is ridiculous you might remember around
06:06February to March period of 2010 Barcelona played Arsenal at the Nou Camp and Messi scored four goals
06:13one was a long shot from range on his left foot then one on his right foot from close range a rebounded
06:17shot and then a solo one-on-one that was chipped over Almunia into the back of the net and then a
06:22solo goal driving through the heart of Arsenal's offence jinxing one way going the other pass for
06:27Marlon and burying it through Almunia's legs and it really was probably the first performance where
06:33people were really having to say what they saw they could no longer pretend that you know it was
06:40offensive to compare this man to the likes of Pele and Maradona and Johan Cruyff that's when people
06:45really started to do it and then also in March of 2010 Barcelona went away to Real Zaragoza why are
06:51you talking like that you're from Stockport Adam stop it anyway Barcelona won that game 4-2 and Lionel
06:57Messi scored another hat-trick after the Arsenal game and very generously gifted a penalty to Zlatan
07:01Ibrahimovic after winning it he basically dragged the whole team on his back in that game as good as
07:06they were in a number four I've gone for 2019 a lot of people really like to say that he ghosted that
07:12second leg at Anfield in that year but realistically if you look at the chances that he created in that
07:16first half passes to Filip Coutinho, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Barcelona really at least should have been
07:23level at half-time in the break they should not have lost that game full stop with the chances
07:27that Messi provided them irrespective of that there was also performances against Tottenham in the
07:31Champions League there was the home leg against Liverpool with that that free kick you know the
07:36one and of course that quite frankly scarily good dink against Real Batista way which for me is
07:42probably in his top three goals ever I don't know about you but just the audacity to attempt that
07:45was on another level this is also the year that Messi got his record sixth Ballon d'Or separating him
07:51apart from the rest and making sure that he is the best and also 2019 was Messi's last La Liga title
07:57with Barcelona which is significant but sad because it really painted a picture of the sorry state of
08:02affairs the club was in after pretty much after Neymar left and when Bartomeu was in charge but we could do a
08:10whole video on that to be honest but Messi still carry them on his back for two more years
08:13okie dokie in at number three I mean any of them could win it at this point but I've gone for 2015
08:19now the reason being he won five trophies in this year the UEFA Champions League La Liga Copa del Rey
08:25European Super Cup and the club world cup as well not bad especially when you're playing from a deeper
08:31role while still being part of that MSN trio he was predominantly on the right hand side but this is
08:36really where he started to drop back into midfield and sort of tick with Xavi Iniesta Busquets even
08:40more than he was doing in that Pep Guardiola and Tata Martino system so under Luis Enrique he still
08:46hugged the touchline you remember that very famous goal in the Copa del Rey final against athletic Bilbao
08:51which is probably his best goal ever truth be told 2015 also belonged to one of Messi's most iconic
08:58games I'm sure you'll remember it that home leg against Bayern Munich in the semi-final of the
09:02Champions League he sort of just came to life didn't he there was not much going on in the game
09:06a little bit of a stalemate both teams obviously playing fairly conservatively and not wanting to
09:11concede given the stakes of the game and then he just did what he does he came to life jinxed inside
09:17beat Neuer and then decided to I don't know how to put this politely retire Jerome Boateng and then
09:25dink a prime mammal Neuer on his weak foot I mean it doesn't get much better than that so for the amount
09:29of iconic moments in this year for the fact that he was part of that famous MSN trio which was the
09:34best front three he was ever a part of categorically undisputably it has to go in at number three and
09:40this could be argued as Messi's prime it depends what you value in a footballer how unplayable you
09:45think he was as opposed to other years because obviously we've seen him be a slightly better
09:48goal scorer than he was this year but as an all-rounded player and an all-rounded version of
09:53Lionel Messi I don't think it gets much better than 2015 to be honest. Number two is of course
09:59then 2011 another year Barcelona won the treble and a year where Messi was good at football again
10:0759 goals and 37 assists in 2011 playing as a centre-forward false nine that oh my god I mean it gets
10:15better it gets better in the year after but what is that what is that that is ridiculous and of
10:21course you'll all remember this year as the year where Sergio Busquets racked up the assist of his
10:25career with that little layoff to Lionel at the Bernabeu Messi picked it up and had an easy finish
10:30from there really beating one two three four and then the goalkeeper pretty standard stuff for the
10:36man I've also had to put this in at number two because this was probably the apex of Pep Guardiola's
10:41Barcelona system it didn't get much better than this I think many people are touted this as the best team
10:47of all time you go through it Valdez, Abidal, Pique, Puyol, Dani Alves that midfield trio which was just
10:54there's a there's a genuine argument for that being the best midfield trio of all time you could just
10:58put those three in and no one else and it'd be an acceptable opinion and then Pedro Messi and Villa
11:03just had the perfect balance of creativity and goal scoring threat and movement as well it was really
11:08just the perfect team I don't think anyone could lay a glove on them. So number one you don't need me to
11:14tell you what it is it is of course 2012 and you also know why. 91 goals in a calendar year. 91.
11:25The previous record was held by Gerd Muller of course with 85 in 1972 and Messi took it upon himself
11:31to not only beat it but just you know add six more on top just so no one else can get there really
11:35just because he can. That year he averaged 65 minutes per goal and averaged 1.3 goals per game
11:42just absolutely ludicrous. Add 22 assists on top of that as well and you have 113 goals and assists
11:50in a calendar year which is the best of any footballer ever so how how could how could this
11:55not be number one just because of the sheer magnitude of what he was doing statistically
11:59let alone on the eye test. Another reason why I had to put this number one is this was probably the
12:04height of the Messi-Ronaldo debate at the time and also not just Ronaldo fans but football fans in
12:09general could probably put forward a case that 2012 was also Ronaldo's best year in football.
12:1663 goals and 13 assists in 71 games is just inhuman in of itself but the level Messi reached that year
12:22just made it insurmountable and Ronaldo then was unable to win the Ballon d'Or that year in what
12:27was possibly his best year in the game. In that year he scored nine hat-tricks two of them being four
12:32goal games and one of them being that five goal game against Bayer Leverkusen alone and the only
12:37real I guess the only real sort of thing you could hold against Messi in that 2012 year was that game
12:43at the Nou Camp against Chelsea which I'm sure you remember 2-0 up against 10 men and somehow still
12:49lost the game we all remember it um but I guess I guess Messi had the last laugh because he did score
12:55more goals than Chelsea in that calendar year so you know basically I had to put it number one
13:01because the numbers are just that ridiculous when compared to whole football clubs other players
13:06at the top of their game it really is just the definition of superhuman. Well there we go um that
13:12was my attempt I guess you could say at ranking Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or from worst to best not
13:18sure worst is really the right word to use truth be told because you know they were all pretty good
13:23years I certainly couldn't do it um but I felt like the video was necessary because this will be
13:28the man's last Ballon d'Or and uh you know just to pay a bit of homage to what has been a career
13:33like no other really I know he's not retired yet so I'll just say one more thing enjoy it while you
13:38can you can let me know which of the Ballon d'Or winning years you thought was the best in the
13:42comments below don't forget to subscribe and I will see you very soon bye-bye
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