Let’s be honest, the commentators were swept away with Messi at the WC, as were some posters on this forum. I for one was honest enough to admit I wasn’t falling for the fawning over side passes etc that Joe Bloggs makes in the Championship but was called out for it because I wasn’t joining in with the rest. I said at the time when Sky sports used to show La Liga I used to watch Messi (and Ronaldo) regularly and be amazed at how brilliant he was at his peak, so it wasn’t like I was denying what a world class player he was. Everyone knows it SHOULD have gone to Haaland for this season’s achievements, maybe a lifetime achievement award is a category that’s needed for players like Messi, Ronaldo, who, let’s face it players that rarely come round every generation let alone two in one generation.