"Would have won it every year since 2009" - When Barcelona legend Pique made bold Ballon d'Or claim about Lionel Messi in 2016
In 2016, Barcelona legend Gerard Pique claimed Lionel Messi should have won every Ballon d'Or award since 2009. Pique and Messi were teammates at the Catalan club for 13 seasons between 2008 and 2021, sharing the pitch in 506 games and recording 17 joint-goal contributions.
Lionel Messi holds the record for the most Ballons d'or in history, with eight to his name. The Argentine won his first golden ball in 2009, marking the first of his four consecutive wins until 2012. His latest win came in 2023 after a phenomenal season where he led Argentina to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
In a 2016 post on X (then Twitter), Messi's then teammate Gerard Pique boldly claimed that Lionel Messi should have won the coveted award every year since 2009. He wrote (translated via Spanish from X):
"If the Ballon d'Or were given to the best player in the world, Leo would have won it every year since 2009. Another level."
In 2016, Messi's arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo eventually won the award after receiving 745 votes, while Messi came second with 316 votes. Ronaldo's win marked the highest win margin in the history of the award - 429 points.
Ronaldo claimed his fifth golden ball in the following year. Lionel Messi's next win came in 2019, while Luka Modric broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly with his win in 2018.
When Barcelona legend Gerard Pique backed Lionel Messi to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or
Lionel Messi won his seventh Ballon d'Or award in 2021 after winning the Copa America with Argentina and leading Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey. Ahead of the ceremony, Gerard Pique once again backed Messi to win the prestigious award.
Speaking to Spanish broadcaster Ibai Llanos on Twitch, Pique said (via EuroSport):
"I think Leo will win Ballon d'Or for sure. He has seven trophies and some others he could have won. We all know Leo is the best player in this generation."
The Barcelona legend added:
“The parameters for this trophy are so distorted that people no longer know what we are valuing. If we are valuing trophies, Jorginho should be the winner but if you value the best player in the world, Leo must be the winner. If it's valuing trophies plus performance plus figures... The winner is also Leo. Leo should have won more than seven times.”
Pique's predictions came true as Lionel Messi won his seventh Ballon d'Or in November 2021. However, 2021 was also a difficult year for the Argentine, as he was forced to leave his boyhood club Barcelona and join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as a free agent. La Blaugrana were unable to renew his contract owing to their economic woes and LaLiga's Financial Fair Play rules.
After two seasons at the Parc des Princes, Messi joined MLS club Inter Miami in the summer of 2023. It is worth noting that this year marked the second time Messi did not make it to the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist by France Football since 2006. The first time was in 2022 after a comparatively poor season with PSG.