RIO DE JANEIRO // The clock on the big screen halted at 120 minutes, indicating the World Cup final had only stoppage time remaining. Lionel Messi stood over a free kick. The angle was too tight, the distance, surely, too far to trouble Manuel Neuer. Yet this was Messi: a magician, a prolific scorer, a man with a left foot valued more highly than any other in world football.
The shot ballooned over Neuer’s crossbar and Argentina’s hopes of salvation were extinguished. Germany would be world champions and Messi would not be universally accepted as one of the greatest players of all time. He would, however, be awarded the Golden Ball, Fifa’s recognition for the best player of the tournament.
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Messi is many things and was fundamental in his country’s journey to the Maracana on Sunday night, but he was not the best player of a tournament littered with quality individual performances. Arjen Robben at Holland and James Rodriguez of Colombia were both more deserving. Several Germans could have been named worthy winners. Even Javier Mascherano, Messi’s teammate at Argentina, could arguably have challenged for recognition.
Read more: Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella says Lionel Messi deserves Golden Ball award
We can laud Messi’s abilities, but let us not pretend he is the deserving winner. For the first time, the Golden Ball winner was decided by a Fifa Technical Committee, rather than voted for by media, and rewarding the popular choice has long been the pattern at this tournament.
Mario Gotze, who played all of 32 minutes of the 120-minute final, was given Fifa’s man-of-the-match award after netting his side’s decisive goal. In Argentina’s semi-final with Holland, goalkeeper Sergio Romero was named as the best player despite having made only one (comfortable) save in 120 minutes before stopping two penalties in a shoot-out.
When Messi was handed his Golden Ball, he stood alongside Neuer, who had seconds earlier been awarded the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper. (Another nominee had, inexplicably, been Romero.) Neuer has been a dominant figure in the German goal and often appeared impenetrable, but he has a team of world beaters in front of him.
A more gratifying decision would have been to reward the undefeated Keylor Navas for his role in taking Costa Rica to their best World Cup finish. Unfortunately, reputations and popularity come first.
Yes, Messi helped Argentina through the tournament, netting four times and claiming two assists, but Argentina managed just one goal in regular time in the knockout stages. Surely nobody believes Messi performed to the peak of his abilities this past month? At times, he showed glimpses of that fearsome talent, but for much of his final four games – when the opposition were more tactically astute – he was shackled and could not impact the game the way he would have liked.
Read more: Huge opportunity gone amiss for Lionel Messi at World Cup 2014
That is not to say Messi’s reputation should be diminished. Perhaps in some strange way, giving him the Golden Ball is a way of aligning his achievements with a World Cup tournament. The World Cup is forever the stick with which the Argentine is beaten and while he did not win it – and now may never do so – it is suddenly a lot more difficult to claim he fails to perform at international level when he is listed in the history books as the best player of the 2014 tournament.
Messi’s game-changing moments this month were match-winning and had his free-kick sailed in, his standing would have been undeniable. One misplaced shot should not decide a player’s legacy. He has accomplished enough in his career to be grouped together with Diego Maradona and Pele.
“In terms of his reputation, Messi was already in that pantheon,” Alejandro Sabella, the national team coach, said in his post-match press conference. “And he’s been there for quite some time.”
Indeed. In that regard, and that regard alone, the Golden Ball winner was apt.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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