Feature: What Does Ballon D'or Tell Us?

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Messi won Ballon D’or three times in a row, well a hat-trick in winning this award is really impressive, but when the mighty Ronaldo was unable to achieve this, what does it tell us? Is it because there were no other players better than Messi? Or is it because the world already blinded from other footballing style and only know how to scream Barcelona?  This should probably be called, Football Imperialism.

No, I am not yet another hater who think Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Messi or Xavi deserves this award more than Messi. I don’t hate Messi and in fact, I think he is awesome. He is so awesome to an extend that everyone wants to have a Messi in their team, and wish they can play like Barcelona. Yet, the cruel fact is, there is only one Messi in the world, and no, he won’t go to any other team. So, if a team try to use a ‘fake’ Messi to create their own ‘Barcelona’, they will only fail. It is because after a fake Messi, they will need a fake Xavi, a fake Iniesta, a fake Pique….the list go on. And you know what? A fake Barcelona will not beat the real Barcelona. I am sure you have learned that from TV.

Barcelona is strong, because they have a group of good footballers who created a style that suit themselves, not adapting any footballing style that looked amazing. Messi is special because he is not trying to play like Maradona or any football legend, he plays his own football and his football fits into Barcelona just nice. Trust me, if one day Messi joined Stoke City, he will turn back to his human form. But just because Barcelona has been winning all the trophies doesn’t mean they are unbeatable. Mourinho beat them, more than once. Yes, his teams may have played ugly at times, but at least he found a way. Everyone says Barcelona plays beautiful football, but when you can’t beat their beauty, ugly may scared them off. And, who say football only has one form? All teams that had beaten Barcelona before, do not play like Barcelona.

What does this tell us? The Great power stays powerful because everyone is too busy admiring their achievements and trying to change their own cultures, styles, and everything else to be like a Great power. Yet, forgetting the fact that, not being like the greatest, is the best way to stand out.

See it like Chinese Kung fu. Why there are so many schools in Kung fu? Because they understand the fact that there can only be one master in each school, and being the master, they knew the weaknesses, strengths, and every tiny detail of their own Kung fu style, so Kung fu masters always create new styles to challenge each other.

Barcelona style is awesome, but they shouldn’t be the only thing that defines football. I am hoping to see someone else stand on that stage next year, and surely Messi will be happy to have some ‘real’ competitors.