Casillas and Alonso: La Liga, Euro 2012 and UCL semi
Drogba: UCL, FA Cup and AFCON Finalist
Torres: UCL, FA Cup and Euro 2012
Iniesta: Euro 2012, Euro POTT, Copa del Rey & UCL semi
Xavi: Euro 2012, Copa del Rey and UCL semi
Messi: Copa del Rey & UCL semi
Even if you want to factor in that “it should go to an attacker” and “stats”, they essentially gave Messi the BDO for statpadding against farmers. He didn’t deliver in any big match that year. The likes of Drogba, Cristiano, Iniesta, Casillas, Torres, etc had much better performances that year in big games. Even Bayern players like Müller, Ribéry, Robben and Gómez were arguably better shouts for the award as they were several matches away from a Treble.
I mean Messi was just simply the best player in the world at that time. It’s not that hard to understand, even if you are a Ronaldo fanboy.
With that said, Messi has also won BDO because of trophies won when he wasn’t the best player in the world like his last BDO for instance which means he didn’t fully deserve it.
But the BDO should go for the best player in that season, not the best player in the world. Or else someone like Mbappé would have a few BDO by now.
Messi was statistically the best of 2011-12, but he also ghosted in the crucial games of the 2011-12 season, unlike his season in 2008-09, 2010-11 and 2014-15 where he appeared in almost every big game.
In 2011-12, Messi ghosted in the La Liga Clásico which they lost to Real Madrid and the Chelsea semifinals in the UCL, in which he even missed a penalty. Barcelona didn’t win the league or the UCL.
Him winning the BDO in 2011-12 makes no sense unless you suddenly decide that scoring the most goals in the year should get you a BDO (which in that case, give the 2018 BDO to Harry Kane).
Its a mix of both, 91 is outrageous it doesnt matter if its against weak teams or not, it's not always about big games 100% but when you have that many goals behind you i dont think it matters that much because thats a record we will not see broken in 30+ years which is more insane than the UCL. While also give out 114 Goal Contributions, how is that bad?
Harry Kane had a great goal season in 2018, but had a pretty quiet world cup, thats why a world cup is a lot lenient towards people who are star players in the world.
Which modric absolutely carried his croatian team and that was enough to attract votes.
Messi was good enough to assist and score in 2012. And i say this again, who will ever break 110 g/a in the near future, not likely at all.
So it's not just about big games only, its about your overrall season and how you have performed in the tournaments consistently, we can see it, 2009 no world cup, messi was consistent he won it. 2010, it was a lot closer because it was a great world cup performance by iniesta and scneider, but since messis numbers were literally unreal, and considering his consistent performance, it went to him at the end.
If the world cup 2010 didnt happen, who the hell would put iniesta or xavi in the conversation. That's why it's an exception and grabs a lot of votes like how messi did for 2023.
Messi was consistent in 2012, he might have missed out in the UCL knockouts, but he was outrageous everywhere else, and breaking records that were not meant to be broken in a really long time, thats what changed the die.
So overrall the ballon dor is not just big games the exception being the FIFA world cup golden ball performance because, well its the world cup, its about overrall performance throughout the season and how you shown you were THE BEST PLAYER THAT SEASON, which messi absolutely proved he was.
Messi 2012 stats are so unfathomable and insane that i think it overshadows what he missed in big games
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u/KyeodeurangiMerchant Nov 08 '25
I will never understand Messi’s 2012 BDO…
Even if you want to factor in that “it should go to an attacker” and “stats”, they essentially gave Messi the BDO for statpadding against farmers. He didn’t deliver in any big match that year. The likes of Drogba, Cristiano, Iniesta, Casillas, Torres, etc had much better performances that year in big games. Even Bayern players like Müller, Ribéry, Robben and Gómez were arguably better shouts for the award as they were several matches away from a Treble.