Sergei PogrebnyakReporter SportAll materialsEmail to the authorFrance Football has published a list of contenders for the Ballon d'Or. For the first time in 17 years, Lionel Messi, who is the current owner of the trophy, was not among the top 30 players for the first time in 17 years. Social networks immediately began to dazzle with thousands of comments about the end of an entire football era. But is it worth it to rush to harsh judgments, and was Leo so bad last season? The change in the Ballon d'Or format played against Messi The upcoming award will indeed be historic. But this one has nothing to do with the absence of Messi in the list of contenders for the award. The fact is that France Football decided to change the very format of the prize. If earlier the Ballon d'Or was awarded at the end of the calendar year, this time it will be given to the best player of the season. values. The format change just played a cruel joke with Messi, for whom last season was the first outside of Spain. A year ago, Leo said goodbye to Barcelona with tears in his eyes and moved to PSG. It is impossible to play in one team for 20 years, and then immediately fit into another without spending time adapting. It was not easy for Messi to fit into the Parisian club, where he is not the main star, and the game is not sharpened for him alone.
