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Messi levels above ‘Player of the Year’ Ronaldo

BySarah Salahpour|
Nominees for the Best FIFA football player, Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi (R) and Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo (L) chat before taking their seats for The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, on October 23, 2017 in London. / AFP PHOTO / Ben STANSALL (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)
Nominees for the Best FIFA football player, Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi (R) and Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo (L) chat before taking their seats for The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, on October 23, 2017 in London. / AFP PHOTO / Ben STANSALL (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

The Best 2017 awards ceremony was filled with elite prizes and the biggest of them all was FIFA’s Men’s Player of the Year award.

It was a star-studded night as Lionel Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo among many other stars made their appearances.

The show was dominated by talks surrounding the rivalry between Barcelona’s ace Messi, and Portuguese superstar Ronaldo. However, it was quite clear that the Real Madrid player would take home the prize after his Spanish club picked up the double (La Liga and the Champions League) last season.

Despite his team’s lack of success in the 2016/2017 campaign, the player with back to back masterclass performances was undoubtedly Leo Messi. But who was named as the best player? Of course, Ronaldo… again.

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The statistics between Messi and Ronaldo will leave you questioning this elite ceremony, as it clearly shows Leo dominating in goals, assists and chances created compared to his arch-enemy.

“La Pulga” scored 45 goals, delivered 11 assists and created 96 chances while the Portuguese netted 32 times, produced six assists and created 44 goal-scoring chances-stats that make you wonder.

And let’s not forget Messi’s impact and importance in his national side. If it wasn’t for him, Argentina would most likely have missed out on the 2018 World Cup.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (L) celebrates after scoring against Ecuador during their 2018 World Cup qualifier football match in Quito, on October 10, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Rodrigo BUENDIA (Photo credit should read RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/Getty Images)
Argentina’s Lionel Messi (L) celebrates after scoring against Ecuador during their 2018 World Cup qualifier football match in Quito, on October 10, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Rodrigo BUENDIA (Photo credit should read RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/Getty Images)

Leo carried his team, finding the back of the net seven times in 10 of his qualifying matches, including his historical hat-trick against Ecuador. The match that gave La Albiceleste their golden ticket to Russia. The lethal striker has been so crucial at both club and international level, yet the prize goes to Ronaldo due to his Real Madrid’s past success.

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It is unfair to see Lionel Messi coming second to Ronaldo after such an incredible individual season both with his club and with his national team. With or without these individual awards, Messi will continue to shine and be levels above any other footballer.