Lionel Messi says there is “no doubt” that Karim Benzema could be the right winner for the Ballon d’Or after the Real Madrid star cemented his place in the UEFA Champions League.
The Frenchman is the favorite to win this Argentine player as the next recipient of the game’s prestigious award after promoting his team to domestic and European success this term.
Karim Benzema has scored 44 goals in 46 games in all competitions this season for Carlo Ancelotti’s team and led them to Paris victory over Liverpool on Saturday as captain.
Lionel Messi, who added to his Ligue 1 trophy from the Paris Saint-Germain trophy in his first year away from Barcelona, feels that Benzema has won his trophy.
“I think there is no doubt,” Lionel Messi told TyC Sports when asked if the Frenchman could be the right candidate to win the Ballon d’Or.
“It is very clear that Karim Benzema has had an amazing year and finally separated the UEFA Champions League, which is important from 16 onwards in every game.
“I think there is no doubt this year.”
Lionel Messi also recalled his victory in 2021, while defending the trophy he won in 2019 against Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich after the award was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Robert Lewandowski would be a favorite of many in 2020 and broke Gerd Muller’s long record of 40 goals in the Bundesliga in one season the following year.
However, he was forced to make a second move after Leo Messi after helping Argentina win their first Copa America in 28 years.
Leo Messi has admitted that Robert Lewandowski could have been the right winner in 2020, but when he thinks he feels he deserves to win in 2021 he is rewarded.
“What I was saying at the time was from my heart and because I really felt that way,” Leo Messi said, referring to his words at the 2021 Ballon d’Or event.
“I said he deserved the Ballon d’Or before because the year before that he seemed to be much better.
“But the year I won was not good. I just said that. But let him take it the way he likes. Everyone says what they like and obviously can express themselves and say what they want.
“Actually, I do not associate it with what he said, but I also did not give it much importance. That is, he can say what he wants, I am not interested.”