With 791 goals for club and national team, 41 team titles and a record 7 Golden Ball awards, Lionel Messi has affirmed his position as a great player in world football.
According to the Daily Mail (UK), the magician’s penalty on the field in the 3-0 victory over Croatia was Messi’s 11th goal in World Cup matches, helping him surpass Gabriel Batistuta, becoming the The player who scored the most goals in the history of the Argentine national team.
At the same time, El Pulga’s performance in the recent semi-final also equaled German legend Lothar Matthaus’s record of 25 appearances at the World Cup. And it is almost certain that the former Barcelona star will become a new record holder for the number of times he has played at the biggest football festival on the planet when he is present in the 2022 World Cup final.
Many people are waiting for Messi to receive the most prestigious title with the Argentina national team. This is irrefutable evidence that he is one of the best players in human football history. For many fans, winning the World Cup would also cement Messi’s status as the greatest footballer on the planet after years of controversy between the Argentine superstar and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 35-year-old player will lead the Argentine national team onto the field on the evening of December 18 with the hope of winning the most prestigious trophy and the biggest trophy of any tournament he has ever participated in. Will Messi write his name in history by conquering the highest titles a player can achieve?
If he defeats France, the Paris Saint-Germain star can become the 9th player in history to win the World Cup, European Cup/Champions League (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015) and 7 times. won the Golden Ball title (Ballon d’Or) in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021.
In history, there have been 8 players who have owned the above prestigious title collection.
Bobby Charlton
Charlton is one of the best players that English football has ever produced, an important factor in helping England win the famous World Cup championship at home in 1966, after defeating West Germany 4 – 2 in the final at Wembley.
That same year, Charlton was awarded the Golden Ball title, narrowly ahead of Portuguese star Eusebio.
Two years later, in 1968, Charlton won more glory at Wembley when his club, Manchester United, defeated Benfica 4-1 after extra time to lift the European Cup for the first time.
Franz Beckenbauer
Beckenbauer played in the 1966 World Cup final, but he only made his mark eight years later when he led West Germany to victory at home.
Beckenbauer’s role in the final was very important. He marked Johan Cruyff and prevented the Dutch team from implementing the “total football” strategy, helping the West German team win 2-1.
Beckenbauer then became part of Bayern Munich’s dominant team, winning a hat-trick of European Cups in the mid-1970s.
This defender also won the Golden Ball title twice in 1972 and 1976.
Gerd Muller
Following that success was Muller, one of the most prolific strikers of all time. This player won his first Golden Ball title in 1970, when he was voted the best player ahead of Bobby Moore.
Muller then went on to score 4 goals in victory at the 1974 World Cup, including the winning goal against the Netherlands in the final.
The striker also scored a large number of goals in his three European Cup wins – including 8 goals in the 1973 – 1974 season and 5 goals in each of the following seasons, confirming his status as a great player. .
Paolo Rossi
1982 was a memorable year for legendary Italian striker Paolo Rossi. At that time, Mr. Rossi was playing for Juventus, scoring 6 goals on the journey to conquer the World Cup and bring the Italian team to glory.
Excellent performance at the biggest football festival on the planet helped Mr. Paolo Rossi win the World Cup Golden Boot and then the Golden Ball title that same year.
Three years later, Rossi won the European Cup title with Juventus. The final between Juventus and Liverpool was the scene of the Heysel tragedy that left 39 people dead and more than 600 injured.
Zinedine Zidane
The greatest “conductor” in French football history Zinedine Zidane also won a double of three noble titles. He left his mark on the journey to winning the 1998 World Cup right at home with the clearest evidence being his two headers against Brazil in the final.
With what he showed that season, Zidane convincingly won the Golden Ball title. But the French football legend also had to leave Juventus to play for Real Madrid to be able to conquer the Champions League. Before that, he had two failed finals while playing for the Bianconeri.
Until now, the volley that Zidane made against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final of the 2001 – 2002 season is still mentioned as one of the most beautiful goals in the history of the tournament.
Rivaldo
In the trio of titles that every player dreams of, Rivaldo won the first Golden Ball as a worthy reward for what he performed at the 1999 Copa America.
The World Cup title came to this star in 2002 when he, along with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, formed the invincible “trio” 3R.
In that World Cup, Rivaldo scored consecutive goals in 5 matches of Brazil.
Rivaldo completed the double of World Cup, Golden Ball and Champions League titles in the 2002 – 2023 season when he and AC Milan defeated Juventus on penalties in the 2003 Champions League final at Old Trafford.
Ronaldinho
With Brazil, Ronaldinho was also a key part of the 2002 World Cup victory, famously scoring a 40-metre lob against England’s David Seaman in the quarter-finals.
In 2005, Ronaldinho won the Golden Ball title when overcoming competition from the English duo Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. And the following year, he achieved his dream success in the Champions League when Barcelona beat Arsenal 2 – 1 in the final in Paris.
Autumn
Kaka owns a complete set of noble titles relatively easier than other football legends. Because he was still a young player, he only played 25 minutes during the Brazilian team’s journey to conquer the 2002 World Cup against Costa Rica in the group stage. However, the World Cup history books still name Kaka as a member of the Selecao team that won the championship at that time.
Five years later, in the 2006 – 2007 season, he and AC Milan won the Champions League title by defeating Liverpool 2 – 1 in the final. That year, the Brazilian was ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in the Ballon d’Or voting.
