Are Messi's consistency and outlandish genius his biggest enemies?

Perhaps we can address all these comments and wonder if Messi’s apparent incompetence is down to his genius.

Consider a player who was the top scorer in Europe in the 2017-18 season, top assist provider in La Liga, completed more dribbles than anyone, created more chances per 90 minutes than any player and played the role of the protagonist, leading his team to a domestic double.

Now consider the argument that four players performed better than him in the top five European leagues. Outrageous, right? Apparently not, if that player is Lionel Messi.

This argument does not make a case for why Messi should have been in the top three of the rankings, let alone win it. Rather, it’s a take on how the Argentine’s consistency has rendered his accomplishments pallid in comparison to some players who remain dormant throughout the year and perform exceptionally well in a handful of games.

The best pizza in the world does not taste like the best pizza in the world if it’s consumed three times a day for a month. But its value is enhanced and the taste is more appreciated when it’s consumed as the occasional treat. It would appear that the lack of a varied diet in Messi’s season makes it tough not to overindulge in his brilliance.

Luka Modric – who made a strong case for his Ballon d’Or award – performed well in the World Cup and led his team to the finals. All the praise he’s received is perfectly justified. But when Messi did the same with Argentina in 2014, his leadership was questioned and the criticism that he failed to win the World Cup overshadowed the appreciation he received for winning the Golden Ball.

While other players are judged on what they have won, Messi is judged on what he hasn’t and this is the only explanation as to how the voting journalists came up with a list of four players who were ‘better’ than the five-time Ballon d’Or winner this year.

As silly as it sounds, Pele’s comments did have some truth to it. It is true that Messi is not great with his right foot or his head. But this inference by the Brazilian disregarded the fact the Argentine is the best passer of the ball, one of the best dribblers, arguably the best finisher and hence the most complete player in the world. Traits like these surely count for more than being ambidextrous.

This is again a case of how Messi is judged for what he isn’t rather than what he is.

Ronaldo’s comments on the need for Messi to test himself in different leagues was probably made in good humour. However, it is a fact that the Argentine has received flak throughout his career for being a ‘Barcelona player’ who needs to prove it in the Premier League.

Conversely players like Francesco Totti, Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez, Ryan Giggs, Steven Gerrard are hailed as one-club men and are portrayed as the flag-bearers of loyalty.

The way Messi is portrayed in the same context shows how the 31-year-old is judged differently to everyone else. That’s the curse of being a genius.