The Argentine magicians win clearly came mostly on the strength of his performances in his sides first four matches, where he notched four vital goals and an assist. After that, his standards began to drop. This is where Messi is judged more harshly than any other player on the planet. If he doesnt single-handedly win the game for his side, or produce a wonder-goal, hes said to have disappointed. No other player on earth is held to those standards, not even Cristiano Ronaldo. In Argentinas semi-final against the Netherlands, Messi was far and away the best attacking player on the field. Constantly fighting for - and winning - the ball, he went past Dutch defenders over and over again. But this game is held up as an example of his low performance - because he didnt score. And its true, by his standards, thats a poor game. But a poor game for Messi is still better than most people on earth could ever hope for. Silver Ball winner Muller, by comparison, only scored one goal after the end of the group stage - in Germanys 7-1 win over Brazil. And not to take that away from him, but a blindfolded sparrow could probably have slipped away from David Luiz and tapped one in during that match. So to say Messis performance dropped off is true, but so did everybody elses. The same could be applied to third placed Arjen Robben, who didnt even manage an assist after the end of the group stage. Messi, then, deserved his award over the two men who finished behind him. But what about that man? The Golden Boot winner, James Rodriguez. Rodriguez was Diego Maradonas choice for the award, but as good as he was, Messi out-performed him too, in terms of what he brought to the team. In terms of all-round team performance, Colombia were better than Argentina man-for-man. The difference was that when Argentina needed a win (final excepted), Messi delivered. Player of the Tournament shouldnt go to the player whos shown some individual brilliance. It should be awarded to the player whos had the biggest impact on the matches that hes played in, in terms of the results. Based on that judgment, Messi is the only possible winner. He pulled his side out of the fire on so many occasions. An incredible ball in the 118th minute to put Angel di Maria through against Switzerland. His 90th minute screamer against Iran to win the match. His brace against Nigeria, without which his side wouldve lost. Without him, Argentina could well have gone out in the first round. With him, they came within minutes of winning the World Cup. That is why Lionel Messi was the player of the tournament. That is why Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. That is why Lionel Messi deserved the Golden Ball.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 16:11:59 +0000