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The contradictions in the way some people discuss football history are astonishing. Take Pelé, for example. Everyone proudly says he won three World Cups, and rightly so. Yet no one brings up the fact that he missed the 1962 World Cup final through injury. Nobody tries to take that title away from him because the logic is simple: he was part of Brazil’s triumph, so the trophy belongs to him. But when it comes to Messi, the rules suddenly change. Some claim Barcelona’s 2006 Champions League doesn’t count because he missed the final. The issue isn’t Pelé or Messi—it’s changing the criteria depending on the player. The same applies to Maradona. He is one of the greatest players ever and led Argentina to World Cup glory, becoming a national hero. But he never won the Champions League or the Copa América, while Messi won the Copa América twice, won the Finalissima, the World Cup, and maintained an elite level for over two decades. That doesn’t diminish Maradona—it simply shows how complete Messi’s career has become. Cristiano Ronaldo’s case is another contradiction. For years, the World Cup was the ultimate argument used against Messi. The moment Messi won it, many suddenly reduced it to “just seven games.” If the World Cup was the biggest measure before 2022, why did it stop being one after Messi lifted the trophy? Then comes the excuse that Portugal has “no World Cup history.” But history isn’t inherited—it is created. Spain had never won a World Cup until the generation of Xavi and Iniesta changed that. Argentina’s greatest football legacy was built by players like Kempes and Maradona. The greatest players don’t wait for history—they write it. Messi didn’t become the greatest because he won the World Cup. By 2022, he already had multiple Ballon d’Ors, four Champions League titles, countless individual records, and was the all-time top scorer and assist provider for both Barcelona and Argentina. The World Cup wasn’t what made his legacy—it was simply the final missing piece. Pelé has achievements Cristiano doesn’t. Cristiano has achievements Pelé doesn’t. Messi is the only one who combines the strongest arguments from both sides. That’s why diminishing Messi’s career has become so difficult. Every criticism seems to require changing the rules, moving the goalposts, or creating new standards that only apply to him. That’s not a weakness in Messi’s legacy. It’s a weakness in the argument against it. 🐐❤️🇦🇷

Giving Rodri the World Cup Golden Ball over Messi wasn’t deserved—not even by 10%. And before you jump into the comments with the usual arguments, remember that many of you rejected Rodri’s Ballon d’Or over Vinícius Jr. You might want to rethink your position. Rodri is the heartbeat of Spain’s system, no doubt about it. But you can’t hand him the tournament’s best player award based mainly on his performances in the semifinal and final. Meanwhile, another player performed at an extraordinary level from the opening game all the way to the semifinal, often carrying his team almost single-handedly (with the exception of the semifinal, when his teammates stepped up as well). There’s also a huge difference in the strength of the two national teams, yet that wasn’t properly taken into account. Neither was individual performance. This isn’t about statistics alone. Rodri is incredibly important and influential to his team. Messi is just as essential—arguably even more so. Not simply because of goals or assists, but because of everything he means to his team. Both are the heart of their sides, but Messi had the added edge of consistently deciding games. Since the award ultimately went to a player from the finalists, the comparison is straightforward. I honestly don’t know what they were thinking by giving it to Rodri. For me, Lionel Messi deserved the World Cup Golden Ball without a second thought. ⛔️