Lionel Messiās first season with Paris Saint-Germain didnāt go according to plan, with the Argentine superstar struggling to settle in the Ligue 1 sidethroughout the 2021-22 campaign. Therefore, he was not even considered for the 2022 Ballon dāOr ceremony.
The prestigious award given by France Football has changed its criteria for this edition, taking into account the club season rather than the calendar year. Consequently, Messi was not even part of the 30-player shortlist.
Of course, such a decision sparked controversy as weāre talking about one of the worldās bestand also winningest Ballon dāOr player. The news may have not sit well with Messi at first, butnot winning this yearcould end up beingbetter for him and Argentina.
Lionel Messi avoids Ballon dāOr ācurseā ahead of Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup
Unsurprisingly, Karim Benzema emerged victorious in the 2022 Ballon dāOr gala following a fantastic season in which he helped Real Madrid win the LaLiga and UEFA Champions League titles. But thereās a fact that could worry the French community.
Asstats expert MisterChip noted on Twitter, the reigning Ballon dāOr winner has never won the FIFA World Cup. Benzemaheads into Qatar 2022 aiming to help France secure consecutive titles, but he would need to break the ācurseā to make it happen.
On the other hand, this only fuels Argentinaās World Cup aspirations. La Albiceleste arrive at the competition in high spirits, having won theCopa America last year and punching a ticket to Qatar without losing a single game.
Messi has recently revealed this will surely be the last World Cup in his career. It wonāt be easy, but the expectations around Argentina are through the roof. Will he finally win the elusive title in Qatar?
