“Ballon d’Or? It’s okay if he doesn’t get it.”

Messi’s ease of achieving his career, “Ballon d’Or? It’s okay if he doesn’t get it.”

Is it the ease of Lionel Messi, who has virtually set all the milestones. Messi showed a flexible response to the Ballon d’Or award in the future, saying, “It does not give special value.”

Messi faced local reporters at DRV PNK Stadium, his home stadium, for a press conference for the 2023 League Cup final on the 18th (Korea Standard Time). It was Messi’s first press conference in the tournament. Messi’s Inter Miami will compete with Nashville SC (USA) for the League Cup trophy on the 20th. Spain’s Sport and Britain’s Daily Mail highlighted Messi’s remarks.

First of all, the Daily Mail said, “Messi claimed in the past that he did not want to leave Barcelona (Spain) and move to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), France, but explained that Inter Miami’s transfer was the opposite.”

According to the media, Messi said, “I am happy that there is still a game to continue my happiness. “We came where we wanted to be, and it was much easier because it was our decision,” he explained. “The contract with PSG was not what I planned. He wanted to stay in Barcelona, but eventually moved to PSG. “It happened too suddenly,” he said. “It was hard in Paris, but not in Miami,” he said.

It was followed by the FIFA World Cup victory and the Ballon d’Or award. Messi first explained about winning the World Cup, “I lifted the most important trophy of my career.” Regarding the Ballon d’Or, he said, “It’s a really big achievement, but it doesn’t give any special value. What matters is the team trophy. It’s good to get it, but it’s good to not get it. “I achieved the goals I had while playing, and now I’m going for a new goal,” he explained.

Of course, Messi is still nominated for various individual awards as well as the Ballon d’Or. Just the day before, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) unveiled three final candidates for the Player of the Year, including Messi. Manchester City duo Kevin de Bruyne and Elling Holan, who achieved the treble in the 2022-23 season, will compete for the award. The UEFA Player of the Year award is based on the club and national team performance of players who have played in Europe. The UEFA Technical Research Group sets up an initial list of candidates, and the rankings are determined by voting. The voting group consisted of club team coaches, UEFA national team coaches, and reporters selected by European Sports Media (ESM) who participated in the UEFA club competition.

Messi shone last season with 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 official matches for PSG, but the only club trophy he won was the league title and the French Super Cup. However, he led Argentina to the championship at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, the highlight, and won his second Golden Ball.

Messi scored 672 goals in 778 games after playing his official match in Barcelona in the 2004-05 season. He is considered the best player in modern soccer with his outstanding performance. He has won the Ballon d’Or seven times given to the best player, and boasts a splendid award, including three FIFA Best Player Awards, three UEFA Player of the Year Awards, and six Spanish La Liga Best Player Awards. In addition to winning the UEFA Champions League (UCL) four times, he also succeeded in clubs such as 10 La Liga and 7 Copa del Rey (King’s Cup).

However, there was a sudden end to his accompanying Barcelona. The club was unable to renew its contract with Messi because it failed to solve financial problems under league rules. In the end, Messi left the team on a free contract and wore a PSG uniform.

In PSG, Messi scored 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 official matches. The record was excellent, but he also had difficulties due to the adjustment period at the beginning of the season. In particular, in the second half of the 2022-23 season, controversy arose, such as leaving the team without permission due to an advertising contract with Saudi Arabia. Messi officially bowed his head and apologized, but PSG fans responded to him with jeers. PSG won the league title after many twists and turns, but suffered the humiliation of being eliminated from the round of 16 at UCL for the second consecutive year. Messi missed a decisive penalty kick in the 2021-22 season and did not show much influence in the 2022-23 season.

That’s all for PSG and Messi. Messi, who once again left the team on a free contract, headed to Inter Miami. As Messi said earlier, “I’m happy,” he is playing an active role that is overshadowed by concerns about his adaptation period early on.

Inter Miami was ranked 29th and lowest in the MLS overall this season. But Inter Miami, “with Messi,” was different. He defeated the teams that had the upper hand in power in the League Cup, which qualified for the 2024 North-Central American Caribbean Football Federation (CONCACAF) Champions Cup, the Champions League in the Americas.

The start was the first group stage match against Cruz Azul (Mexico). Inter Miami continued its 1-1 tight match until the end of the second half. It was Messi who stepped on the ground as a substitute in the second half that broke the balance. In his first official match, Messi scored the winning goal with a left-footed free-kick just before the end of extra time. Messi cheered with his teammates, and co-owner David Beckham also smiled brightly. It was Messi’s shot to break Inter Miami’s six-game no-win slump, which had not won for nearly a month.

In the ensuing match against Atlanta United, he scored two goals and one assist to lead his team to a 4-0 victory. His former teammate Busquets also made his starting debut on the same day.

Messi was the main character in the match against Orlando City, where all the Barcelona trio stepped on the ground. Messi scored multiple goals again this time to give the team a victory.

Since then, the match against Dallas in the round of 16 has been a real slugfest. The two teams exchanged four goals in 90 minutes. Dallas led 4-3 this time, but Messi saved the team with a dramatic free-kick goal in the 40th minute of the second half. Messi’s second-hand free kick also started the previous chase goal. In the penalty shoot-out that followed immediately, he was the No. 1 kicker and easily succeeded lightly. Inter Miami, which gained momentum, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 5-3 lead in penalties. 먹튀검증

Since then, Messi has added one goal each in the games against Charlotte and Philadelphia Union. Like Marge’s performance in Barcelona in the 2010s, he writes his name on the record sheet for every game.

Messi, who scored nine goals in the tournament, has already reserved the top scorer position. All the players in the lower ranks were eliminated from the competition. Whether Messi will be able to laugh in the final is the factor to watch.

The Riggs Cup, which will be held in the U.S. and Canada, is a competition involving MLS and Mexican Liga MX clubs. Forty-seven teams will participate to determine the winner through the group stage and the round of 32 tournaments.