La Pulga Atomica, which literally means ‘The Atomic Flea’, is the nickname given to Messi and is rightly nicknamed so. From getting bullied in his teens to bullying defenders today, Messi has removed the word ‘impossible’ from his dictionary.
Here’s why Messi will win the Ballon D’Or this season:
1. Dominance
Proving himself season by season, Messi is arguably the greatest football player today, if not, of all time. In the current scenario, you always need to give your hundred percent to achieve more. With competition rising day by day, remaining at the same level and proving yourself from time to time is what Messi has been doing for years. Constantly creating and scoring goals in periodical basis is what defines Messi. With the average of over 0.8 goals per game, Messi is one of the most consistent players this season.
2. Playmaker
The ability that makes him different from other goal scorers this season is that Messi is also an excellent playmaker. Messi is not only the highest goal scorer this season in La Liga, but also is in the apex of the chart in terms of providing assists. With 40 direct goal contributions till now, Messi has the highest goal contribution in the league, nineteen spots ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
3. Adaptability
From playing in a Centre-Forward position under Pep Guardiola, Right Wing under Luis Enrique and now playing as an attacking midfielder under Ernesto Valverde, Messi has proved that he can play anywhere in the field and make an impact. His adaptability is second to none. The Little Magician can pick the ball up from anywhere in the field and make a goal scoring chance. As seen against Sevilla, a partly injured Lionel Messi from seeing his team go 2-0 down, brought his team back to salvage a draw, in the mere space in time of thirty minutes.
4. Determination
The determined Argentina star continues to prove people wrong. As people say, a lion hunts the best when he is hungry. Same can be said in reference to this genius. He has proved every critic wrong this season. From scoring against Buffon or Chelsea to breaking numerous records, the Lion seems to get even hungrier, game-by-game. He seems to break records in every game he plays, like Midas used to transform every object into gold. The touch of Messi, some would say.
5. Impact
There is individual impact in each an every game that Messi plays in. From saving his country from brink of elimination to scoring a hattrick to save his team, he is truly the Messiah. From game-to-game, he has made his presence felt by the people around him. From losing 2-0 to both Sevilla and Real Sociedad to bringing his team back and numerous other occasions where Messi single-handedly won much needed games for the Blaugrana, FC Barcelona would be nowhere today without the impact of this genius.
Piece submitted by Soham Banerjee
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