Cover Letter 

This research paper presents a unique perspective on the debate surrounding Lionel Messi’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or in 2023. Lionel Messi’s influence in football is unmatched, and his outstanding accomplishments have brought him to the Ballon d’Or trophy time again. However, my research paper respectfully refutes the majority view by offering a different perspective on Messi’s dominance in the 2023 Ballon d’Or award by providing historical context and important events.    It also highlights the Ballon d’Or voting method used by MOC and the selection process, such as club and international performance, player competition, injuries, and expert and media opinions. Despite Messi’s unquestionable talent and contributions to the game, there are strong arguments against him winning the Ballon d’Or this year. This paper draws attention to Messi’s recent difficulties in the Champions League as well as the exceptional efforts of other players, such as Erling Haaland, who won the Champions League title and Premier League. It also includes some words from journalist Nachiket Nanoti, as well as the opinions of prominent football players like Michail Antonio. Antonio disputes the consensus that Messi should win the Ballon d’Or, arguing that Haaland should instead for his leadership of a treble-winning squad and his breaking of records. However, Nanoti emphasizes the importance of neutrality when selecting players and analyzes the complexities of bias in Ballon d’Or discussions. 

“Debating Messi’s Ballon d’Or Chances”

In the realm of football, there are only a few names in sports that have the same significant impact as Lionel Messi’s. His incredible accomplishments have led to winning the famous Ballon d’Or award year after year. However, I write this research paper with respectful disapproval, attempting to offer an alternative opinion that questions Messi’s ongoing dominance in the Ballon d’Or competition of 2023. There are other deserving candidates in the mix, which makes the discussion surrounding Messi’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or exciting and personal. Despite Messi’s unquestionable skill on the football field and his tremendous contribution to the sport, there are strong arguments against his legitimate claim to the Ballon d’Or this year. To create an argument that highlights the difficult nature of the Ballon d’Or selection process, that considers several factors, including club and international performance, rivalry from other players, injuries, and the opinions and votes of experts and journalists. Messi shouldn’t be the heavy favorite to win the Ballon d’Or this year because of his recent struggles in the Champions League, and outstanding performances by other players, such as Erling Haaland, who won the Champions League.  

Passionate debates among football fans worldwide center around Messi’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or. Lionel Messi is among the most deserved contenders for the prestigious honor because of his extraordinary talent and dependable performance over the years. But the Ballon d’Or isn’t just awarded for individual skill, team accomplishments and the overall performance of the competition are also taken into account. Messi’s successful Copa America campaign with the Argentine national team and his return to FC Barcelona this year have definitely improved his chances. However, there are other deserving candidates in the mix as well, which makes the discussion surrounding Messi’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or exciting and personal. It’s interesting to think about how the discussion around Lionel Messi’s possibilities of winning the Ballon d’Or might be explained by looking at the business side of things. Applying the concept of “home bias,” which is defined as “the tendency for investors to invest in a large number of domestic equities, despite the purported benefits of diversifying into foreign equities” (Konijnenburg 7), to the current discussion surrounding Lionel Messi’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or. Niels Konijnenburg, a financial analyst and researcher, in his academic paper, “Biases in the voting behavior of the Ballon d’Or,” published on 17th of June 2017, addresses the topic of biases in Ballon d’Or voting and argues how these biases significantly affect the outcomes of the most valuable award in football. He supports this claim by analyzing historical voting data, identifying patterns of bias in the selection of Ballon d’Or winners, and providing concrete examples of how these biases have influenced the results of the award. Niels Konijnenburg’s purpose is to shed light on the existing biases in Ballon d’Or voting, to raise awareness, and to make changes in the voting process to ensure fairness and accuracy. He adopts an objective and analytical tone for his audience, which includes sports analysts, football enthusiasts, and those interested in the topic of the Ballon d’Or award. His focus on data and evidence contributes to his credibility in addressing the topic of biases in Ballon d’Or voting. Furthermore, to have a deeper understanding of how the voting system works in selecting a Ballon d’Or winner we have to look at the framework of the system. For instance, according to the Monotonicity Criteria (MOC): the method has to keep the ranking of an alternative pick, and adjusting certain preference ballots causes it to be rated higher than others, even if other preferences stay the same. (de Graav 6) The interpretation highlights (to give an example) that you are considering A, B, and C as your three top candidates. Let’s imagine right now, you would rather have candidate A over B and B over C, or A > B > C. If you change your mind later and now you prefer B > A > C, the Monotonicity criteria (MOC) states that the ranking system will respect this change. Therefore, even if your preference for candidate C doesn’t change, candidate B will still be placed higher than candidate A. In other words, regardless of how you feel about candidate C, your preference change from A to B should be the same and show up in the ranking.

Within the space of the football debates, Michail Antonio, a well-known figure in the football world and a West Ham striker, has added his opinion to the conversations surrounding Lionel Messi’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or. Antonio passionately expressed, “Messi winning the World Cup is massive, but you can’t look past a treble-winning team and what Haaland brought to that, breaking records. He deserves that Ballon d’Or. If he doesn’t get it, then it’s a scandal” (Brotherton 1). In an online article, about ‘The Ballon d’Or Controversy,’ published on a football page called Goal, where Antonio addresses an interviewer on the topic of the Ballon d’Or and argues that Erling Haaland deserves the award over Lionel Messi. He supports this claim by highlighting Haaland’s achievements, such as leading a treble-winning team and being the top scorer for Manchester City in the Champions League, and suggests that these accomplishments make him a more deserving candidate for the Ballon d’Or than Messi this year. Antonio’s purpose is to challenge the mainstream opinion surrounding the Ballon d’Or and push for a shift in perspective to recognize the talents of upcoming players like Haaland and his contributions to the sport. He aims to influence the readers and the football community to reconsider their opinions on the award. He adopts a convincing and slightly passionate tone for his audience, and others interested in the topic of the Ballon d’Or controversy, aiming to engage them in a debate and convince them to reconsider their stance on the award. Expanding on the intense and diverse conversations that take place within the football community, the conversation on the complexity of bias is an inevitable topic of discussion in the realm of football around the time of this special award. As Nachiket Nanoti remarks, “So clearly, there can’t be objectivity in a discussion that can be easily swayed by bias and revisionism.” (Nanoti 4), a Barcelona fan, discussed in his thought-provoking post, about the “bias” (Nanoti 4) in Ballon d’Or Selection, published in a discussion space on Quora, the issue of the Ballon d’Or selection process. In this piece, he argues that objectivity remains difficult to achieve in discussions surrounding the award, largely due to the influence of bias and criticism. He supports this claim by delving into the historical workings of the Ballon d’Or, where established players like Messi and Ronaldo often dominate over young players like Mbappe and Haaland. Highlighting the evidence of bias, he draws attention to France Football’s criteria, which consider ‘the overall career of the player.’ Throughout his post, he provides various examples that highlight the challenge of achieving true fairness in the award’s selection. Nachiket Nanoti’s purpose is to shed light on the deeply held bias within the Ballon d’Or selection process, encouraging a reconsideration of the award’s criteria. His ultimate goal is to advocate for a fair approach that aligns with the current situation of football and better reflects the contributions of both seasoned legends and rising stars. By doing so, he aims to inspire critical discussions and advocate for reform within the football community. He adopts an insightful and analytical tone, targeting an audience of passionate football enthusiasts and individuals interested in the nuances of a special award like the Ballon d’Or. Through his balanced approach, Nanoti seeks to engage his readers and encourage them to think about the complicated situation of the award’s selection, urging them to change the way it recognizes the sport’s exceptional talent alongside the legends.

Although Lionel Messi is unquestionably a legend in football after winning the World Cup. However, there is a case to be made for him not to be the majority favorite to win the Ballon d’Or if more factors are taken into account because the Ballon d’Or cares about the performance in the Champions League; and determines the best team in Europe. Even though he won the FIFA World Cup, the Ballon d’Or is not only a measure of one’s contribution to national success. For instance, in 2012, Messi won the Ballon d’Or over Andres Iniesta who is a Spanish footballer and former teammate of Messi. While Messi achieved many individual statuses and broke the record of top scorer, yet had hardly any impact on the team, Iniesta was the best player in that Spain team which was “irresistible”. As Paul Mullaney remarks, “He played a total of 551 minutes over the six games, and in all of the big matches Spain played at the Euros, Iniesta excelled…Yet on top of this, Iniesta had one thing Messi didn’t have this past year: the chance to win the European Championships in the summer” (Mullaney 1). Mullaney backs up his claim by providing statistics of Iniesta’s significant playing time, focusing on key moments in important games, and highlighting Iniesta’s critical contribution to Spain’s domination in the Euros and eventually winning the FIFA World Cup in 2012. Yet somehow Messi won the Ballon d’Or, despite not winning anything collectively. If the 2012 criteria are applied today, it is clear that Erling Haaland is most likely the winner. In my humble opinion, I believe the Ballon d’Or requirement should include a combination of each competitor’s individual genius, team achievements, and overall performance in major leagues such as the Champions League. Lastly, Messi’s remarkable career is certainly worthy of appreciation, but it would be incorrect to declare him the clear favorite to win the Ballon d’Or given his recent Champions League setbacks and the exceptional display of talent from uprising players like Erling Haaland. 

In conclusion, the debate over Lionel Messi’s chances of taking home the 2023 Ballon d’Or created many differences of opinion amongst the football community. Even with Messi’s incredible accomplishments and his most recent World Cup victory, it is important to consider the fact that he shouldn’t be the clear favorite to win this Ballon d’Or. Despite his legendary status, his inability to perform in the Champions League and the extraordinary accomplishments of up-coming talents like Erling Haaland seriously challenge Messi’s inevitable opportunity at the Ballon d’Or. Morally, the Ballon d’Or considers more than just personal skill and national success; it aims to look at a player’s overall achievements as well. This paper suggests looking at candidates more closely by focusing on recent achievements and the improvement of new football skills, consistency, and impact on the team at the highest level. 

Resources 

Konijnenburg, Niels. “2.1 Home Bias.” Biases in voting behaviour of the Ballon d’Or 2013-2015, 6, 2017, pp. 7-8.

de Graav, Damien. “Theoretical Framework.” FIFA Ballon d’Or Voting Method, unknown, pp. 5-7.

Nanoti, Nachiket. “Do You Think Messi Deserves the Ballon d’Or 2023?” Quora, 23 Apr, 2023.

https://www.quora.com/Do-you-think-Messi-deserves-the-Ballon-dOr-2023

Mullaney, Paul. “FIFA Ballon d’Or: Why Iniesta Deserved the Award over Messi.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 19 Sept. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/1475381-fifa-ballon-dor-why-iniesta-deserved-the-award-over-mess.

Mullaney, Paul. “FIFA Ballon d’Or: Why Iniesta Deserved the Award over Messi.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 19 Sept. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/1475381-fifa-ballon-dor-why-iniesta-deserved-the-award-over-mess. 

View, Football, director. TRY NOT TO LAUGH ! 🤣🤣 FUNNY 2023 BALLON D’OR AWARDS TROLLING MEMES | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MEMES |MEMES. YouTube, YouTube, 31 Oct. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Jfys3aHk5yg. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.