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Date: 2023-11-29 04:07:14 | Author: Online Sports | Views: 581 | Tag: promo
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For the eighth and probably last time, Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or promo
Messi beat competition from Manchester City’s treble-winners, an inevitable result after he inspired Argentina to their first World Cup since Diego Maradona did the same in 1986 promo
The promo betting stopped long before the Paris ceremony began, and the only mystery left was to guess the fabric of his suit promo
Messi’s journey can be told in promo football and in fashion choices promo
He collected his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 wearing a basic black suit and tie, looking like a boy at the school prom, and with each passing year his attire became more bold: the bow tie and tux in 2010, the velvet sheen in 2011 and the garish polka dots in 2012 symbolising the blooming confidence of a young man who could do no wrong, who could take a hideous suit like a bad pass and turn it into something great, or at least slightly less hideous, by dint of his own brilliance promo
Things got a little out of hand in 2013 when he wore a full red ensemble, an outfit which, in hindsight, didn’t deserve to win promo
Messi was beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo two years in a row, and when he finally resumed his throne in 2015, he did so back in a classic black tuxedo promo
In 2019, Messi’s simple grey tie was a suitably sombre look to end his four-year winless drought, before the shimmering sparkles of 2021 which lit him up like a galaxy promo
For No 8, he returned to a simple black suit and bow tie, the circle complete promo
Lionel Messi’s array of get-ups for the Ballon d’Or (Getty Images)Through the years, Messi changed on the pitch too promo
He added layers to his talent promo
It is easy to forget now that at first he was not a prolific goalscorer, but rather a slippery eel who could score goals promo
His 2007 dribble against Getafe was emblematic of early Messi, weaving an impossible thread from his own half to the opposition’s box in a mirror image of Maradona’s iconic goal against England promo
Then came the goals, the sheer unfathomable quantity of them, so many that his name was falling off the end of scoring charts, his season data overflowing with little ball symbols overlapping one another with each new hat-trick promo
And soon he wasn’t just the best dribbler and the best goalscorer in the world, but the best creator too promo
This element of his game grew through his career: Messi’s goalscoring peaked in 2011-12 (1 promo
19 per game in all competitions), but his assist rate kept growing until 2019-20 (0 promo
57 per game) promo
He was the 9, 10, and 11 who could run the game at 6 too, when he fancied it promo
He could be both an unstoppable individual talent and part of a functioning, flowing trio with Luis Suarez and Neymar in those golden years at Barcelona when they delivered the treble promo
He could shoot but he could serve too: Messi will be the only player in history to score 900 goals and still look unselfish promo
He never stopped evolving promo
He taught himself to become a master of free-kicks, scoring that way in three successive La Liga games in 2018-19, the same season in which he scored two in the same match against Espanyol promo
View moreThen came the crucial pieces of his legacy: the 2021 Copa America, relieving years of burden after failing for Argentina; the 2022 World Cup, ending the notion that he could never match Maradona; and now, an eighth Ballon d’Or promo
An individual trophy shouldn’t define a promo footballer and yet it is impossible to ignore how Messi’s career has been framed by this award, by his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, how they played on a higher plane than the rest and yet Messi climbed higher still, into the clouds promo
Does he deserve this latest prize? There are plenty of social media accounts (usually with a flexing Ronaldo in their profile picture) that will tell you Fifa has rigged the Ballon d’Or vote to suit its agenda promo
Messi, they say, is promo football’s marketing cash cow and the game is geared towards his success promo
A similar theory was proffered by Dutch manager Louis van Gaal recently, who suggested the World Cup was “premeditated” for Messi to win promo
Certainly, you could conclude that Messi is not definitively the best player in the world promo
On 12-month form it might be Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland promo
On this season’s form it’s probably Jude Bellingham promo
Yet the Ballon d’Or is unashamedly wed to those players who decide the biggest prizes, and no one had the impact on the destiny of the World Cup like Messi promo
The crucial goal against Mexico that sparked his team to life, the magic against Australia, the fury against Netherlands, the twisting dribble against Croatia, and the final deliverance: it was a World Cup won as much by his aura as his gifts with the ball, and this completed one last evolution – Messi the figurehead promo
There is still a little more to do promo
He will try to win the MLS Cup over the next couple of years, just as David Beckham did twice; he will captain Argentina in next June’s Copa America promo
But this feels like the end of something promo
Now playing in the US, it is surely his last time standing up here, in sharp dress, holding a golden orb promo
Messi has completed promo football, and now he has more Ballons d’Or than anyone might ever win promo
Haaland and Mbappe will be 24 and 25 when one of them perhaps wins their first next year promo
They are unlikely to reach eight and maybe no men’s player ever will promo
There have been many ‘end of an era’ moments in Messi and Ronaldo’s slow shuffle offscreen, but this feels the most clear-cut promo
Messi’s journey seems complete promo
No more shiny suits promo
The stage is empty now promo
More aboutLionel MessiBallon d'OrWorld Cup 2022Diego MaradonaCristiano RonaldoFC BarcelonaKylian MbappeErling HaalandJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/2Messi leaves the Ballon d’Or stage with his legacy completeMessi leaves the Ballon d’Or stage with his legacy completeLionel Messi’s array of get-ups for the Ballon d’OrGetty ImagesMessi leaves the Ballon d’Or stage with his legacy completeLionel Messi collects his eighth Ballon d’Or at a ceremony in ParisAFP via Getty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today promo
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Maro Itoje has urged England to “impose” their game on South Africa in their Rugby World Cup semi-final promo
The Springboks enter the game as significant favourites as they seek a second consecutive tournament crown promo
Jacques Nienaber’s side edged out hosts France in a captivating quarter-final last weekend, showing somewhere near their top form to reach the top four promo
Itoje believes that England cannot afford to simply let South Africa come at them, stressing that he and his teammates intend to put their “best foot forward” to meet the Springboks promo
And the lock has confidence that his side can take it to the world champions promo
RecommendedEngland spring surprise with three changes to team for Rugby World Cup semi-finalSteve Borthwick explains Marcus Smith’s absence from England team to face South AfricaSouth Africa inspired by struggles of whole nation – Siya Kolisi“What’s important for me is that we present the game we want to present,” Itoje, who partners George Martin in England’s second row, said promo
“It’s about us being the team that we want to be, us playing the type of rugby that we want to play promo
“They have certain things that they’re very good at but it’s about us being the England rugby team, about us putting our best foot forward and our individuals, as a team, going out there and playing the type of game we want to play promo
“For us, it is just about imposing our game promo
We don’t want to sit back and just watch them do their thing promo
”Before England’s semi-final against New Zealand four years ago, former head coach Eddie Jones memorably cut a kiwi in half with a samurai sword to symbolise the aggression he wanted his side to play with against the All Blacks promo
Itoje confirmed that there had been no such demonstrations this week, with Jones’s more successor, the more understated Steve Borthwick, instead emphasising the detail of their gameplan promo
And while talking up South Africa’s ability, the second row insists they are far from unbeatable promo
“They’re just very fundamentally sound in the areas in which they are good at,” explained Itoje of the Springboks’ strengths promo
“They have a good kicking game, a good chase, put a lot of pressure on teams promo
They have a good set-piece, that goes without saying, their breakdown work is good as well promo
“We’re going to need to be physical, that goes without saying promo
We need to be physical in every game, especially when you play against this opposition promo
We need to be smart with how we play, we don’t want to make poor decisions, we don’t want to play in areas that aren’t smart“Obviously they are the current world champions, they’ve had a very good World Cup promo
We’ve played them twice since 2019, they’ve won one, we’ve won one promo
We’re not talking about a team that has never lost, we’re not talking about a team that is without fault, they are a good team but so are we promo
For us, it’s about putting our game on the field, it’s not necessarily about sitting just to watch them promo
”More aboutEngland RugbyMaro ItojeSouth Africa rugbyRugby World CupJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/1Itoje insists England will ‘impose their game’ on South AfricaItoje insists England will ‘impose their game’ on South AfricaMaro Itoje believes England have what it take to beat the Springboks PA Wire✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today promo
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicspromo BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy promo
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