Lionel Messi could win a record seventh Ballon d’Or but he will need to accomplish a few more things to get there.
Last summer was nightmarish as far as Lionel Messi and Barcelona were concerned. The player had enough with the former management and informed them of his intention to leave the club. However, he ended up staying put at Barcelona and endured a difficult start to the campaign under new manager Ronald Koeman.
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Now the question that arises here is that can Messi manage to bag another Ballon d’Or and go two clear of Cristiano Ronaldo? Here are a few things that he will need to sort out in order to achieve this feat.
Lionel Messi should finish as top scorer in La Liga
Lionel Messi has finished as the top scorer in La Liga in the past four seasons. He is well on his way to being La Liga’s top scorer for a fifth season running. Messi currently has 23 goals from 27 appearances in the La Liga this term. If he finishes as top scorer in La Liga and bags a record eighth Pichichi trophy, he’ll have moved an inch closer towards winning the Ballon d’Or.
Finish with most number of assists in La Liga
If Lionel Messi can overtake Iago Aspas over the next nine gameweeks, then there is every chance that he will once again be topping both the goals and assists charts in La Liga. If he does that, he’d easily be chosen as La Liga player of the year as well.
Lionel Messi should win the domestic double
After struggling earlier on in the season, both Lionel Messi and Barcelona seem to finally be hitting their stride under Ronald Koeman. They have turned their form around domestically and even though they crashed out of the UEFA Champions League, they could yet walk away with two trophies at the end of the season. If they can win the domestic double, Lionel Messi would become a really strong contender for the Ballon d’Or.
Win the Golden boot/ball in Copa America
Lionel Messi will join the Argentinian international side to take part in the Copa America this summer. Argentina and Colombia will host this edition of the Copa America and Argentina are in with a shout.
If Lionel Messi can kick on in the same vein and keep his levels up during the tournament, he could end up with either the Golden Boot for most goals scored or the Golden Ball for the best player in the tournament.
Win Copa America with Argentina
The last time that Argentina won the Copa America was back in 1993 and they are desperate to become successful in the international circuit once again. Maybe Lionel Messi could yet bring them to their promised land.
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