Ballon D’Or: Pep Guardiola Blasts Messi Critics

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has expressed disappointment at critics who claim Lionel Messi should not have been awarded the 2021 Ballon d’Or. France Football had, on Monday November 29, handed Messi a seventh Ballon d’or award, a decision which has generated lots of controversies among football fans. But Guardiola who managed Messi during their time at Spanish club Barcelona insisted that no one can say it was unfair that the award went to Messi. With Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski missing out on the coveted prize last year, many claim the Polish striker should have been handed the award.

And as the debates continue to generate comments, Guardiola says it is unfair to the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner. He said, “Don’t ask me about that, it is what is is. We can never say it’s unfair that Lionel Messi wins the Ballon d’Or. It’s a show, a nice business to make football more entertainment. A big compliment to Alexia Putellas, Pedri, Leo.” Many believe Lewandowski deserved to win the award last year when France Football decided against handing out the accolade on the back of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to social media to back a claim that Lionel Messi stole the 2021 Ballon d’or from him and Robert Lewandowski. And a five-time recipient of the same award, Ronaldo, who garnered 435 votes to finish sixth has commented ‘facts’ underneath a post detailing why the Manchester United star should have won it.

Earlier, it was reported that one of the high points of the Ballon d’Or awards was when the organisers posted a Cristiano Ronaldo image where he was clad in briefs alongside Didier Drogba. Fans have taken to social media to blast the idea as ‘joke’ or ‘disrespectful’ as the 36-year-old was absent during the event.