lionel messi did not win the ballon dor award at 22 years old
from 200910 to 201718 messi faced ronaldo at least twice every season in el clsico which ranks among the worlds most viewed annual sports events
 however his selection drew criticism due to his lack of goals in the knockout round fifa president sepp blatter expressed his surprise while maradona suggested that messi had undeservedly been chosen for marketing purposes