Dear editor: Messi is the world’s best player, so he deserves 8th Ballon d’Or

“[…] Critics will interpret and skew statistics to form all kinds of narratives… The question we ought to be asking is: in 2022, who was the best football player in the world?

“All hail the king, the greatest player the sport has ever seen. When Messi decides to stop being the best player, then other players can vie for the Ballon D’or…”

The following Letter to the Editor on the decision to Argentina captain Lionel Messi the prestigious Ballon d’Or award was submitted to Wired868 by Kendell Karan of Chaguanas:

(Messi now has a record eight Ballon d’Or titles, three more than his nearest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.)

Erling Haaland will get it someday, but not this round. The same for Kylian Mbappe, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham.

Don’t get me wrong, Erling Haaland had an outstanding year of football: the treble, golden boot; the guy is a mean machine. But the same can be said for Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri—they’ve been as good, if not better for the same cycle and many seasons prior.

Critics say, it’s about the most recent football in a calendar year. Critics say, it’s about the best individual performances, and not team silverware. Critics will interpret and skew statistics to form all kinds of narratives.

People tend to overlook Lionel Messi’s performances at PSG due to the media hype and the drama around Neymar and Mbappe. The question we ought to be asking is: in 2022, who was the best football player in the world?

All hail the king, the greatest player the sport has ever seen. When Messi decides to stop being the best player, then other players can vie for the Ballon D’or.

Noticed I said, when he decides to stop being the best player and not when he hangs up his boots.

This man is an absolute beast. At his age, he has reinvented his style to be more efficient and effective. His fairytale career is not over yet, there is more coming that the football gods have in store for him. I’m not ready yet.

Messi has earned the right to call the shots, he’s bigger than the game. We are blessed to witness this little man play football, to witness greatness, to witness immortality.

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