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 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 canceled.
He was hoping to secure it in 2021 following a sensational season that 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.
