Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario has given his reasons as to why Kylian Mbappe should have won the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball instead of Lionel Messi.
Argentina won the final on December 18 against France in a match that will be remembered as one of the greatest World Cup games of all time. The former Barcelona star scored a brace while Mbappe bagged a hat-trick as the game finished 3-3 in regulation time.
Both of them scored their respective spot-kicks in the penalty shootout, which finished 4-2 in the South American nation’s favor. On his fifth try, Messi finally got his hands on the FIFA World Cup and took home the Golden Ball, the award handed to the competition’s best player.
He scored seven goals and provided three assists throughout the competition. Mbappe, meanwhile, won the Golden Boot by scoring eight times in Qatar.
According to Ronaldo, who won the 1994 and 2002 FIFA World Cup with Brazil, Mbappe deserved the Golden Ball award over his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate. He told Apostagolos (h/t GOAL):
“The player who impressed me the most is Kylian Mbappé. He had an excellent World Cup, from the first match to the final. Even when he hasn’t scored, be it against England in the quarter-finals or against Morocco in the semi-finals, he has always performed well delivering assists.”
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona striker added:
“And in the final, he was extraordinary in scoring four goals because I also count his shot on goal. Technically, he’s above the pack, he’s almost unstoppable and he should have been named the World Cup’s best player because he richly deserves it.”
Liverpool legend feels sorry for Cristiano Ronaldo amidst Lionel Messi comparisons
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has admitted that he feels sorry for how Cristiano Ronaldo is being perceived after his devastating 2022-23 campaign so far.
The 37-year-old left Manchester United by mutual consent in November after starting just four league games under manager Erik ten Hag. Messi, meanwhile, has registered 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 games across competitions for PSG this season.
For some, the Ronaldo vs. Messi GOAT debate has been settled after the latter’s World Cup win. But Carragher has sympathized with the former Real Madrid forward.
He said on Steven Bartlett’s podcast (h/t DailyPost.ng):
“It’s sad for him the way that people are now speaking about him and Messi in very different ways. There is this idea that Ronaldo was all about himself and his ego, whereas Messi is painted as this kind of saint figure.”
“I don’t actually think that is true. People are saying he isn’t the same player, but who is at 37?”
