When presented with the choice of winning another Ballon d’Or or defending Argentina’s World Cup title, Lionel Messi didn’t hesitate: “World Cup.”
The rightly revered icon has the rare luxury of boasting both individual and collective success on the highest stage: Messi is one of just three male World Cup winners to have lifted the Ballon d’Or on more than one occasion.
Inter Miami’s skipper has hoisted aloft the prestigious golden orb handed out annually by on no fewer than eight occasions, comfortably the most across the 69-year history of the award. However, he had to wait until his fifth appearance in a World Cup to get his hands on that trophy.
Clearly, the desire to repeat that feat burns brighter than his individual ambitions—as Messi proved during a quickfire Q&A with . These priorities aren’t shared by plenty of the modern game’s younger generation.
