Backing Messi For Ballon d’Or

Alexis Mac Allister noted that Ballon d’Or voting increasingly emphasizes statistical output, while adding that voters’ criteria are not always clear: “you don't know exactly what people are voting for either.”

Mac Allister warned that Argentina must grow stronger collectively as it prepares for life without Messi, saying the team will need to adjust to the absence of “the best player in the world, who made all the difference.”

Romero described Messi’s personal support when he first joined Argentina, saying Messi helped him adapt during a period when the team was not winning everything and remained his childhood idol.

Messi’s campaign included eight goals and four assists at the World Cup, although Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the final, according to The Sun.