Lionel Messi cements legacy with 7th Ballon d'Or - but tide is slowly turning

A familiar routine played out in the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday as Lionel Messi once again retained his status as the world's best footballer and claimed a record seventh Ballon d'Or award.

The Argentine forward collected the gong ahead of an immensely talented lineup to succeed his previous win and cap a 2021 which perhaps even he didn't expect.

Messi was presented with his latest golden ball trophy at a glitzy ceremony in the French capital, which has become his new home following his shock move from Barcelona in the summer.

He was, as ever, the favourite, with his case supported heavily this year by ending his pursuit of a major trophy with his country.

The 34-year-old was instrumental in Argentina's Copa America win back in July, finishing the tournament as joint top scorer and leading assist-maker, directly contributing in nine of his team's 13 goals.

But to pigeon-hole Messi's achievements this year into purely international football would be to overlook his dominance during his final campaign at the Camp Nou.

Messi practically carried Barcelona last season, in a team which needed carrying.

He finished as La Liga's top scorer with 30 goals - seven ahead of Villarreal's Gerard Moreno - earning him a record eighth Pichichi trophy and his fifth in succession.

Overall he notched 38 goals for his club side, 28 of which came in the back half of the season in this calendar year.

Among them were a vital brace in the Copa Del Rey final which secured Barca's first piece of silverware since 2019, and Messi's 35th at the club.

Even for all his accolades, his taste and desire for more has not waned in that time.

"Whenever I compete, I compete to win and try to achieve all the objectives, to win and get titles," he said. "The more the better."

That would have made Barca's failure to truly compete for the major honours even more difficult to take, and why Messi toyed with the idea of leaving his only professional club as his contract wound down.

The Copa Del Rey triumph did go a long way to convincing him to stay, though, and he admitted himself it was a "turning point".

Yet it couldn't gloss over them spurning the chance to beat Atletico Madrid to the title, or their feeble exit from the Champions League.

It was Paris Saint-Germain who swept Barcelona aside in a 4-1 thumping on home soil. Messi scored in both ties but the damage had been done in the first leg as their European campaign came to an abrupt end.

Even then, Messi didn't imagine he would be lining up for the opposition in six months' time.

By January he already looked to have made a U-turn over where his future would lie (after declaring he was ready to move the previous August) and come the end of the season was prepared to sign a new contract on significantly reduced terms, such was his love for the club, to help aid their financial crisis.

Off he went to the Copa America feeling content in the knowledge he would be returning for the start of the 2021/22 season as a Barcelona player.

If there was ever any asterix placed alongside Messi's glittering career to that point, it was his lack of a major honour on the international stage - something his long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo already had stocked away in his trophy cabinet.

Messi was almost like a man possessed in dragging Argentina to the final and victory over neighbours Brazil, finally ending the hoodoo which had left his country barren of a trophy in 28 years.

The moment was not lost on Messi himself, who became his nation's most capped player of all time and conceded landing the trophy was a box he was finally able to tick.

"I have peace of mind of having achieved the dream that has been denied to me so many times," he later admitted.

But his jubilation was quickly met with despair as issues with his Barcelona contract forced him out of his beloved home and thrust into a new life elsewhere.

Paris Saint-Germain were more than happy to pick up the pieces as they swooped for his services after an emotional Barcelona press conference sealed his exit.

A teary Messi revealed: "This year, my family and I were convinced we were going to stay at home, that's what we all wanted more than anything.

"Last year, I didn't want to stay and I said it; this year, I wanted to stay and we couldn't."

More tears were to follow a month later when Argentina were able to celebrate their Copa America victory with their own fans - a farewell he was not able to be afforded at Barcelona.

Messi bagged a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia to surpass Pele's record as the top South American goalscorer at international level, stating afterwards: "I dreamed about this day a lot. What a beautiful night, I enjoyed it so much - unforgettable."

That has very much been the theme of Messi's unforgettable year, who by that stage had made his debut in a no-frills cameo for PSG away at Reims, but would return to a hero's welcome when finally making his bow at the Parc des Princes.

If you needed evidence of Messi's superstar pulling power, his takeover of Paris has been case in point.

Though it didn't take long for Barcelona's adopted son to be reminded that he was no longer in Catalonia, as he gave a dismayed reaction to being substituted with his first home game vs Lyon still tightly poised - something he rarely experienced at his former club.

However, for all of PSG's wealth of talent, it is Messi's star which still shines the brightest, though for how much longer you might begin to wonder.

A dazzling goal against Manchester City in the Champions League opened his PSG account, but his form for the French club has been indifferent since his move.

Already question marks have been raised over whether Mauricio Pochettino can get the best out of Messi in a lineup already containing luxury assets like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

And just two months on from his superb strike against City, it was against the same opponents that Messi was billed as a "passenger" in a damning assessment of his contribution.

Form is temporary and class is permanent, and the former in Messi's case is rarely below outstanding.

Yet his seventh Ballon d'Or win has been met with slightly more scrutiny than those previous.

His name being etched on the trophy comes as no real surprise following Copa America glory, where he was selected as player of the tournament, too, thus virtually rendering this year's Ballon d'Or competition pretty much a one-horse race.

But he was helped by the absence of a real standout competitor, with Ronaldo out of the picture and only Jorginho able to lay claim to having a more impressive year based on trophies alone.

If all else fails, giving it to Messi is never a decision which would be argued against - and he is the deserved winner - though Robert Lewandowski might wonder what more he needs to do to claim one of his own, while Mohamed Salah is now widely regarded as the man to next take up the mantle, and that's before you consider the fresh faces charging up closely behind.

After a year of immense change, it seems appropriate for Messi to be crowned king in his new home city after he finally landed what he has craved for so long.

Messi is, at least for now, still the world's greatest player, but this Ballon d'Or is one he might want to savour just that little bit more.