For Inter Miami’s manager Tata Martino, the response to who is the best player in the world is very clear: Lionel Messi. Yes, even at 37 and away from European club soccer, for the Argentine manager, his pupil is still the best of the best.
It may be hard to argue that point. Messi, in a period of one week, scored 6 goals in two matches: first, a hat trick against Bolivia in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying, and then another hat trick to close out the MLS regular season against the New England Revolution.
Ballon d’Or candidate and leading contender to win this year’s award, Vinícius Júnior, is also coming off a hat trick of his own in the UEFA Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. While the Ballon d’Or will focus on those players playing in Europe, for Tata Martino, the “meaning” of the award is still debatable.
For Tata Martino, Lionel Messi is the Best in the World
Speaking to the media ahead of Inter Miami’s MLS playoff clash against Atlanta United, Martino’s old MLS club, Tata spoke about the Ballon d’Or and how it’s determined: “I never understood if the (Ballon d’Or) is for the best player in the world or the best player of (a given season). And there is the difference right there.
“Probably Vinícius has the merit of being the best (player last season), but if you ask me who is the best player in the world (overall), it’s Lionel Messi.”
Martino later added, “I ask (the journalist) who is the player that receives the ball 25 meters away from goal and has seven players marking him and you have the sensation that there might be a goal?” alluding to Lionel Messi.