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      ‘I’m not jealous of them’ – Mario Balotelli insists he is just as good as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

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      MARIO BALOTELLI has claimed that he was just as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in his prime.The 31-year-old has had a glittering career, winning the Champions League and three Serie A titles with Inter Milan.
      Balotelli has said that he is ‘100 per cent sure’ that he had the same level of quality as Messi and RonaldoCredit: Getty
      He also won the Premier League and an FA Cup during his spell at Manchester City.
      Balotelli himself believes that he was just as good as Messi and Ronaldo and suggests that he could have won a Ballon d’Or.
      In an interview with The Athletic, he said: “I missed some chances to be at that level, but I am 100 per cent sure that my quality is the same level as these people, but I… I missed some chances, you know? It happens.
      “And nowadays, I cannot say I’m as good as Ronaldo, because Ronaldo won how many golden balls (Ballons d’Or)? Five?
      “You cannot compare yourself to Messi and Ronaldo, nobody can.
      “But if we’re talking about only quality, football quality, I have nothing to be jealous of them, to be honest.”
      .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-q8gelu{margin-bottom:24px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Most read in Football.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-zdjvqv{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:space-around;-ms-flex-pack:space-around;-webkit-justify-content:space-around;justify-content:space-around;margin-top:calc(-12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(-12px/2);}.css-zdjvqv:before,.css-zdjvqv:after{content:”;display:block;}.css-1meuhfk{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-top:calc(12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(12px/2);}
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      The striker provided Man City fans with some unforgettable moments during his three-year stint at the club.
      He was the man to assist Sergio Aguero’s last minute goal against QPR in 2012 which secured the Sky Blues’ first Premier League title.
      But, in the interview he admitted that his biggest career regret was leaving the club in 2013.
      He added: “I think that was my biggest mistake, to leave City.
      “Even in the year when I left, I played very well in Milan for a year and a half, but after that, I had some problems.
      “And now that I’m older, I know that I shouldn’t have left City at that time.
      “All these years seeing City improving, improving and improving.
      “I could have been here like Sergio Aguero for a long time.”
      Balotelli currently plays for Turkish Super League side Adama Demirspor.
      He has registered 11 goals and five assists in 25 games this season.
      Balotelli regrets leaving Man City when he didCredit: Action Images – Reuters More

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      ‘Overlooked for Ballon d’Or’ – Chelsea legend Joe Cole names N’Golo Kante as Premier League player of season so far

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      N’GOLO KANTE’S one of the best midfielders ever – even though he was overlooked for the prestigious Ballon d’Or, Joe Cole reckons.Kante finished fifth in the rankings for the golden accolade behind Blues team-mate Jorginho who attained third spot – behind the winner of the award for the seventh time Lionel Messi.
      Kante’s one of the best midfielders ever in the eyes of Joe ColeCredit: Instagram
      Cole reckons Kante’s overlooked because he’s not as flashy as some playersCredit: BT Sport
      N’Golo Kante’s been the heart of the Blues team ever since he joinedCredit: Getty
      But the Ballon d’Or result didn’t sit well with Blues legend Cole who claimed that Kante’s one of the best midfielders he’s ever seen in action.
      According to Cole, Kante’s greatness is overlooked because fans of the game tend to focus on players who light up the pitch with their dazzling skills and fancy goals while the French ace pulls the strings quietly.
      But Cole believes the 30-year-old’s impact on the teams he’s played for has been outstanding over the years.
      The 30-year-old French ace was instrumental in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph last season despite being injured for a long period of the campaign.
      Which is why Cole chose Kante over his Blues pal Jorginho when asked who his best Premier League player pick of 2021 was by bookmakers Coral.
      Jorginho won the European Footballer of the Year award following an impressive season for the Blues, but Cole thinks Kante outshone his colleague when they played in similar roles.
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      And although he missed out on the Ballon d’Or, Kante will be compensated with a hoard of trophies before he retires – including the World Cup, Cole thinks.
      Speaking in his latest vlog with Coral, Cole explained: “I’m going to go with a Chelsea player, having won the Champions League, and say N’Golo Kante. He was overlooked for the Ballon d’Or.
      “I’ve watched him week in, week out and his influence on the team is outstanding.
      “He has missed large chunks of the season through injury and he has been missed. When he has played, he has been outstanding.
      “The run up to the Champions League last season, from the quarter-finals onwards, six out of seven games, including the final, he was the Man of the Match.
      “Our eyes are always drawn towards the goalscorers and the technicians, but the influence that man has on his teams, is incredible.
      “He’ll finish his career with a bucket load of trophies, including the World Cup, and I think he’s probably one of the most outstanding midfielders ever seen. And he got overlooked for the player of the year awards.
      “When we talk Jorginho, he won the European Footballer of the Year and obviously had a great season as well. But N’Golo Kante, I feel he actually outperformed him in similar positions.”
      Cole’s not the only ex-Blue who thinks Kante’s underappreciated for the work he puts in.
      Blues icon John Terry insisted that Kante should win the Ballon d’Or before the winner was chosen last November.
      He said: “I’d love to go see him win the Ballon d’Or or get the appreciation that I feel he deserves.”
      Terry even claimed that Kante was like a whole team rolled into one, adding: “Kante’s like 11 players on his own.
      “What he does, he goes so under the radar. He is such a top-class player.” More

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      UFC legend Khabib snubs Lionel Messi as Cristiano Ronaldo’s pal picks two players he says should have won Ballon d’Or

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      KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV picked Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema as his most deserving of the Ballon d’Or award. Lionel Messi, 34, pipped UFC legend Nurmagomedov’s close friend Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, to the prize.
      UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov pictured with Cristiano RonaldoCredit: Instagram / @khabib_nurmagomedov
      But several believed Bayern Munich’s Lewandowski, 33, was hard done by having been overlooked in the competition.
      The Pole came second, with Chelsea’s Jorginho, 29, third and Real Madrid’s Benzema, 33, in fourth.
      Football-mad Khabib said: “I would give it to Lewandowski or Benzema. One of them. 
      “Lewandowski, I think. Last three years, he is the best football player.
      “We can just look at his results. What he does. He has won the Champions League. He has scored more than 120 goals last two years.
      “For the national team and club. It is an amazing result.
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      “For the entire football history, I cannot remember, we can name a pair of players who scored 120 goals over two years.
      “He has 65 goals this year. It is too much. For football I think it is too much. I think he deserves Ballon d’Or.”
      Nurmagomedov, 33, retired in October 2020, right after beating Justin Gaethje, also 33.
      It was his first and only fight without his influential father and coach Abdulmanap, who passed away in July of last year.
      Khabib vowed never to continue without his dad and has since retired to focus on coaching.
      But rumours circulated that the former UFC champion, who speaks regularly to Manchester United’s Ronaldo, was starting a footballing career.
      He even received an offer from Russian third tier football side FC Kamaz, which was not taken up.
      PSG’s Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’OrCredit: Getty More

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      Lionel Messi’s dad hits back at son’s critics after seventh Ballon d’Or with Cristiano Ronaldo among unhappy stars

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      LIONEL MESSI’S dad has hit back at those who claim his son did not deserve to win the Ballon d’Or.The 34-year-old Argentine claimed the award for a record-extending SEVENTH time on Monday night following his Copa America glory with the national team in the summer and another stellar individual season for Barcelona.
      Messi won an incredible seventh Ballon d’Or earlier this weekCredit: EPA
      Messi’s dad has celebrated his son’s historic achievementCredit: EPA
      Messi netted 38 times in 44 games for the Catalan giants and then led the Argentina national team to their first major trophy in 28 years.
      But some felt the iconic footballer did not deserve the award and that it should have gone to Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski instead.
      The Polish talisman missed out on the 2020 award after the coronavirus pandemic led to the ceremony being cancelled.
      He was hoping to secure it in 2021 following a sensational season saw him net 48 goals in 40 games.
      But he was forced to settle for second place behind Messi and ahead of Jorginho, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante.
      The likes of Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo came out against awarding Messi the gong.

      The Argentine’s dad Jorge Messi responded with an Instagram picture of his son holding the Ballon d’Or alongside a caption which translated as: “Bla, bla, bla…continue.”
      Germany and Real Madrid midfielder Kroos was adamant his team-mate Benzema, who finished fourth, should have taken home the award.
      He said: “For me, if they were really looking for the best player of the year, Benzema should have been number one because I see up close how exceptional he is.
      “There is no doubt that Messi is alongside Cristiano Ronaldo as player of the decade and has qualities that others will never have.
      “What fails in the election is, above all, the first place.”
      And ex-Real keeper Casillas spoke on Twitter, adding: “It is increasingly difficult for me to believe in this football award.
      “For me, Messi, he is one of the five best players in all of history, but you have to begin to know how to catalogue who are the most prominent at the end of a season.
      “It’s not that hard, damn it! Others make it difficult!”
      Meanwhile, Ronaldo liked a post that said Messi had stolen the award.
      But Messi was in agreement with those who felt he should not have won the award, telling Lewandowski he at least deserves the accolade from 2020.
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      In his acceptance speech, Messi said: “I would like to mention Robert Lewandowski, it’s been a real honour to compete with you.
      “Everyone knows and we agree that you were the winner last year.
      “I think France Football should award you your 2020 Ballon d’Or – you deserve it and you should have it at home.” More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo publicly agrees with damning attack on ‘thief’ Lionel Messi after Man Utd ace’s Ballon d’Or heartbreak

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO has branded claims made by a fan page that Lionel Messi stole the Ballon d’Or from himself and Robert Lewandowski as ‘facts’.The Paris Saint-Germain star pipped Lewandowski to the award by just 33 points.
      Messi won his seventh Ballon d’Or to move two clear of RonaldoCredit: AFP
      A fan page says Ronaldo’s achievements were better than Messi’s, describing the Argentine’s win as ‘theft’
      Ronaldo replied ‘facts’…. having dinner together might be off the table
      But also conceded the Bayern Munich striker deserved a Golden Ball of his own after his incredible achievements in 2020.
      Ronaldo – who finished sixth – wasn’t in attendance to watch his rival collect his seventh Ballon d’Or.
      He stayed in England, but couldn’t resist having a pop on Instagram.
      A Ronaldo fan page slammed Messi’s achievements from last season, comparing them to CR7’s on Instagram, before saying: “Steal. Dirt. Shame. It’s just unfortunate.
      “Who saw it, saw it. Those who are intelligent enough know who deserve the truth.
      “Receiving awards without deserving it, is false happiness, without pride.

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      “Regardless of those awards, the CR7 will always be the best in history!”
      Ronaldo replied: “Facts.”
      The comment caught traction, receiving over 30,000 likes and 10k-plus comments.
      Ronaldo is evidently upset finishing outside the top three for the award for the first time in 11 YEARS.
      And the 36-year-old even hit out at the awards chief, who he says made false claims about wanting to finish his career with more Ballon d’Ors than Messi.
      The United star wrote: “Today’s outcome explains why Pascal Ferre’s statements last week, when he said that I confided in him that my only ambition was to finish my career with more Ballons d’Or than Lionel Messi.
      “Pascal Ferre lied, he used my name to promote himself and to promote the publication he works for.
      “It is unacceptable that the person responsible for awarding such a prestigious prize could lie in this way, in absolute disrespect for someone who has always respected France Football and the Ballon d’Or.
      “And he lied again today, justifying my absence from the Gala with an alleged quarantine that has no reason to exist.”
      ⚽ Read our Manchester United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
      Watch Messi’s angry reaction as organiser asks Antonela to get out of Ballon d’Or photo More

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      Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo has most Ballon d’Or points in history despite winning two fewer awards than Lionel Messi

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO still boasts the most points in Ballon d’Or history – despite Lionel Messi winning the coveted award twice more.The Paris Saint-Germain forward scooped a record seventh trophy on Monday night as he narrowly edged out Robert Lewandowski.
      Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times, with his last success coming in 2017Credit: AFP or licensors
      Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi won the trophy for a record seventh time on Monday nightCredit: AFP
      Messi, 34, retained the award he won in 2019 after the prestigious individual honour was failed to be given out last year due to Covid restrictions.
      And though many fans and pundits will claim that the Argentina international is football’s GOAT, the voting stats in the Ballon d’Or prove otherwise.
      Five-time winner Ronaldo, who last won the award in 2017, has amassed 3,781 points from nominations of the award.
      That is over 200 points more than rival Messi, who has picked up 3,574 points.
      Despite scoring 36 goals for Juventus last season, while already finding the back of the net ten times for Manchester United this term, Ronaldo finished just sixth in the 30-man shortlist for the 2021 award.
      It is the first time in 11 years that the striker has finished outside of the top three, as he picked up just 178 points, compared to Messi’s 613.

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      Earlier this week, Pascal Ferre, the editor in chief of France Football – organisers of the prestigious award – claimed Ronaldo had revealed to him his only career goal was to win more Ballons d’Or than Messi.
      But Ronaldo hit back with a fiery statement on Instagram, saying Ferre ‘lied’ to ‘promote his publication’.
      He remarked: “Today’s outcome explains why Pascal Ferre’s statements last week, when he said that I confided in him that my only ambition was to finish my career with more Ballons d’Or than Lionel Messi.
      “Pascal Ferre lied, he used my name to promote himself and to promote the publication he works for.
      “It is unacceptable that the person responsible for awarding such a prestigious prize could lie in this way, in absolute disrespect for someone who has always respected France Football and the Ballon d’Or.
      “And he lied again today, justifying my absence from the Gala with an alleged quarantine that has no reason to exist.”
      During Messi’s winner speech, the Blaugrana legend called on the Ballon d’Or to award Lewandowski the award for 2020 following his incredible season for Bayern Munich.
      Messi beat Robert Lewandowski by 33 votes to win his seventh Ballon d’Or award
      He stated: “I would like to mention Robert Lewandowski, it’s been a real honour to compete with you.
      “Everyone knows and we agree that you were the winner last year.
      “I think France Football should award you your 2020 Ballon d’Or – you deserve it and you should have it at home.” More

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      ‘I don’t understand anything anymore’ – Kroos, Matthaus and Casillas lead furious reaction to Messi’s Ballon d’Or win

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      LIONEL MESSI won his seventh Ballon d’Or last night much to the dismay of some of his peers in football.The Argentine made it consecutive wins at the star-studded ceremony after picking up the gong in 2019.
      Messi’s seventh Ballon d’Or win caused uproar amongst football’s eliteCredit: Rex
      But Messi’s hardly set the world alight since joining Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona this summer – leaving several of football’s elite questioning the decision to hand him the prestigious gong.
      Leading the outcry was German legend Lothar Matthäus who claimed Messi’s win was incredulous, stating: “Honestly, I don’t understand anything anymore.”
      In Matthaus’ eyes, Bayern Munich ace Robert Lewandowski who finished as runner-up to Messi, was the worthy winner of the accolade.
      He raged, reported by Mundo Deportivo: “With all due respect to Messi and the other great players named, none deserved it as much as Lewandowski.”
      Matthaus’ ex-Bayern team-mate Oliver Kahn whose now the Bavarian side’s CEO also reckons Lewandowski should’ve been given the golden globe-shaped award.
      He added: “Lewandowski would have deserved both the Ballon d’Or and his top scorer trophy because he has performed absolutely at the highest level for years. Congratulations to Lionel Messi!”
      Real Madrid star Toni Kroos was also incensed by Messi’s victory, but instead of Lewandowski, he thinks Los Blancos team-mate Karim Benzema should’ve won the Ballon d’Or.

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      Instead, Benzema finished fourth behind Chelsea star Jorginho in the rankings.
      And a bewildered Kroos vented to Record: “For me, if they were really looking for the best player of the year, Benzema should have been number one because I see up close how exceptional he is.
      “There is no doubt that Messi is alongside Cristiano Ronaldo as player of the decade and it has qualities that others will never have.
      “What fails in the election is, above all, the first place.”
      Real legend Casillas also believes Messi isn’t worthy of the Ballon d’Or this year but didn’t name a successor.
      He wrote on Twitter: “It is increasingly difficult for me to believe in this football award.
      “For me, Messi, he is one of the five best players in all of history, but you have to begin to know how to catalog who are the most prominent at the end of a season.
      “It’s not that hard, damn it! Others make it difficult!”
      But ex-Barca star Messi doesn’t disagree with the critics slamming the decision to hand him the award.
      And after he was presented with the prize, the 36-year-old declared that Lewandowski was the worthy winner this year following the Pole’s phenomenal form last season.
      Messi’s humble admission led to pundit Gary Lineker insisting on Twitter for the prize to be given to Lewandowski as it’s the right thing to do.
      The PSG attacker’s win also ruffled the feathers of his old adversary Cristiano Ronaldo and team-mate Kylian Mbappe.
      Ronaldo finished in sixth place and French prodigy Mbappe languished in ninth spot.
      However, Ronaldo chose to not even attend the award ceremony while Mbappe sat stony-faced upon hearing the news of his ranking.
      Lionel Messi’s sons dress up like PSG star dad as Ballon d’Or winner is honoured with dazzling Eiffel Tower show More

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      Lionel Messi Wins Record Seventh Ballon d’Or

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      The Paris St.-Germain star capped a year in which he led Argentina to the Copa América title by edging Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.Some of the most illustrious names in soccer’s long history only managed to win the Ballon d’Or, the sport’s most prestigious individual prize, once. George Best, Zinedine Zidane and Eúsebio all have just a single award to their names. Ronaldo, the great Brazilian striker, won two. Johan Cruyff, arguably the finest European player in history, has three.After Monday night, Lionel Messi has seven.Messi, 34, effectively retained the trophy he last won in 2019 — controversially, the award was not handed out by France Football last year because of the coronavirus pandemic — after a year in which he ended his long wait for an international honor, winning the Copa América with Argentina, and left Barcelona, the club where he had spent all of his career, for Paris St.-Germain.When your dad wins an other Ballon d’Or 🙌#ballondor pic.twitter.com/UWKir71mX5— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@francefootball) November 29, 2021
      “It’s incredible to be here again,” Messi said. “Two years ago I thought it was the last time. Winning the Copa América was the key.”“I don’t know how many years I have left,” he added, “but I hope many more.”Messi finished with 613 points in the voting, only 33 more than the runner-up, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski. In 2019, the last time the trophy was awarded, Messi beat Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk by only seven points.Barcelona may have lost Messi this year, but it still took home some hardware on Monday: Alexia Putellas, a star midfielder on its treble-winning women’s team, became the third winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or, and the teenager Pedri, a rising talent who is already a fixture for Barcelona and Spain’s national team, was honored as the world’s best player under 21.Messi, who had arrived at the gala at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in a shimmering tuxedo, a look matched by his three young sons, was typically soft-spoken in accepting his award. He praised his former teammates at Barcelona and his countrymen with Argentina, and vowed to fight for new trophies with his new club, P.S.G.Messi defeated Lewandowski in voting by 176 journalists and conducted by France Football, which awards the Ballon d’Or (almost) every year. Many experts argued Lewandowski deserved the honor in 2020, when it was not handed out because, organizers said, disruptions to the soccer calendar had made it impossible to judge. Messi said he agreed with that position.“I think you deserved to win the award last year,” Messi told Lewandowski from the stage, calling it “an honor” to stand against him for top honors in 2021.Jorginho, the Brazil-born Italy midfielder, was third in the balloting, reward for a season in which his club team, Chelsea, won the Champions League and Italy won the European Championship. Real Madrid and France striker Karim Benzema was fourth, and Jorginho’s Chelsea midfield partner, N’Golo Kanté, was fifth.Ronaldo, who finished sixth in the voting, was absent from Monday’s ceremony, but his rivalry with Messi was not. On his Instagram account, Ronaldo angrily took issue with a comment made recently by France Football’s editor in chief, Pascal Ferré, in an interview with The New York Times about the award’s prestige.“Ronaldo has only one ambition, and that is to retire with more Ballons d’Or than Messi,” Ferré said, “and I know that because he has told me.”Ronaldo — despite suggesting as much in other interviews — denied he had made the comment, saying, “Ferré lied, used my name to promote himself and to promote the publication he works for.”“It is unacceptable,” he added, “that the person responsible for awarding such a prestigious prize could lie in this way, in absolute disrespect for someone who has always respected France Football and the Ballon d’Or.”Though 2021 has hardly been a vintage year by Messi’s standards — Barcelona was beaten to the Spanish title by Atlético Madrid and eliminated from last season’s Champions League in the round of 16 — his achievement with Argentina, as well as the attention drawn by his move to France after winning six Ballons d’Or at Barcelona, was enough to convince the award’s jurors.That Messi had never won an international trophy with his national team had always been held against him in the debate over whether he warrants the status as soccer’s greatest ever player. His rivals, after all, had triumphed with their countries as well as their clubs: Pelé led Brazil to three World Cups, Diego Maradona inspired Argentina to one and Cristiano Ronaldo helped Portugal claim the European Championship in 2016.Messi finally put that idea to rest in this summer’s Copa América, breaking down in tears on the field after Ángel Di María’s goal had given Argentina its first international trophy since 1993, beating Brazil, the host, in the final.His tally of seven Ballons d’Or now puts him two clear of Ronaldo, his great rival: The Portuguese forward remains on five, but he has not won the prize since 2017, and at age 36 he is more than two years older than Messi.Putellas, the 27-year-old midfielder who is captain of Barcelona’s all-conquering women’s team, won the women’s Ballon d’Or. Her victory completed a clean sweep of last season’s prizes, after she led her Barcelona side to the Champions League title and a league and cup double in Spain, and then was honored as Europe’s player of the year.Her main rivals for the Ballon d’Or were mostly familiar faces: Barcelona had become the first women’s team to register five nominees in a single year, and two of Putellas’s teammates — Jennifer Hermoso, who was second, and Lieke Martens, who was fifth — finished in the top five in the voting.“Honestly it’s a bit emotional, and very special,” Putellas said. “It’s great to be here with all of my teammates, since we have lived and experienced so much together, especially in the past year.”“This is an individual prize,” she added, “but football is a team sport.” More