"It's a joke" - 'Annoyed' Liverpool fan rants about Messi's Ballon d'Or win

Lionel Messi's 2021 Ballon d'Or win has not gone down well with some people. Last night, the Argentine won the award for a record-extending 7th time. He beat Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski to win the 2021 edition of the prestigious French award.

One Liverpool supporter vented his frustration with Lionel Messi winning the Ballon d'Or on talkSPORT's podcast. He said:

"I’m a little bit annoyed with Messi getting the Ballon d'Or. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the greatest players to have played the game. Him and Ronaldo in the last 20-30 years definitely. But I just think globally, he's like Beckham really, what he did for football, bringing the attention to it and the merchandise and all that. He did that for La Liga."

He continued:

"La Liga are lost without him now, I mean look at Barcelona and the likes of Real Madrid when they lost Ronaldo, they just struggle against top teams. But Messi and Ronaldo haven't done anything in the last two years."

He then went on to insinuate that the Copa America win alone should not be enough to warrant Lionel Messi winning the Ballon d'Or. He said:

"You say he's won the Copa America, fair enough, what's that compared to the Euros? The Euros are basically the next step down from the World Cup. The Copa America? I get that it means a lot to him because of his nationality, where he's from."

The Copa America win was what many believed to have given Lionel Messi the edge over Robert Lewandowski in the race for the Ballon d'Or.

"He's there for the money" - Liverpool fan does not think Lionel Messi will win another Ballon d'Or while at PSG

The fan went on to criticize Lionel Messi's performances for PSG this season. He said:

"I watched him in the Champions League the other night, he was walking around. He's not interested in PSG, he's there for the money and I think he'll retire there earlier than expected to be honest. It think the Ballon d'Or award he's got tonight is his final bow to the Ballon d'Or because he won't win another one."

The Liverpool fan signed off by saying:

"He should have come to England and pushed himself. Why not take the challenge on and say, 'Right why not put this Ronaldo debate to bed? I'll go and play in the Premier League.' I think it's because he knows he won't like it in the Premier League"