"Increasingly difficult to believe in football awards" - When Real Madrid icon questioned Lionel Messi winning Ballon d'Or in 2021
Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas was not happy when Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2021. The Spaniard had suggested that individual awards were losing their credibility as they were not given to the best players of the season.
After the 2021 Ballon d'Or award was handed to Messi, Casillas took to social media to acknowledge the Argentine icon among the five best players ever. However, he did not believe the Inter Miami star deserved the coveted award that year.
Casillas wrote on his official X in November 2021:
"It is increasingly difficult for me to believe in football awards. For me, Messi is one of the 5 best players in history, but we have to start to know who the most outstanding players are after a season. It's not that difficult, damn it! Others make it difficult."
Lionel Messi beat Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho to the Ballon d'Or in 2021. The Argentine legend received 613 votes, while the Polish star and the Italian midfielder finished with 580 and 460 votes, respectively.
When Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos hit out at Ballon d'Or after Lionel Messi won in 2021
Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos was also not impressed with Lionel Messi winning the 2021 Ballon d'Or. Speaking on his podcast 'Einfach mal Luppen,' the German opined that Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were the best players over the last decade, but not the best in 2021. He said:
"It's absolutely not deserved. There is no doubt that Messi, with Cristiano [Ronaldo], has been the player of the last decade, but this year there should've been others ahead of him."
Kroos believed his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema should have won the award, saying:
"For me, Karim would have been the number one if you were really looking for the best individual player of the last year, because I can see from close quarters what an outstanding footballer he is. When I see how many decisive goals Cristiano has scored lately - Manchester United are still in the Champions League thanks to him alone - then, in my eyes, Cristiano would have also come before Messi."
Lionel Messi had won the Copa America in 2021 – his first international trophy. However, he managed to win just the Copa del Rey with Barcelona that year and had a poor start to the season at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), failing to open his goalscoring account in his first five league games.