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Gary Lineker Just Ended The Lionel Messi Debate With The Perfect Tweet To End 2018

Gary Lineker Just Ended The Lionel Messi Debate With The Perfect Tweet To End 2018

He saved one of his best tweets till last.

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

For the first time since 2006, Lionel Messi failed to make the top three in the Ballon d'Or standings. YES we are still talking about this and YES, it's still mind blowing in 2019.

Luka Modric picked up his first Balon d'Or prize, becoming the first player in history to be awarded the World Cup Golden Ball, UEFA Men's Player, FIFA Best Men's Player and Ballon d'Or in the same year, and fair play to the guy.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Modric winning the award. He won the Champions League with Real Madrid and reached the World Cup final with Croatia, performing consistently throughout for his club and country,

But it's the fact that Messi, who gave us so many memorable moments last season, was 'rewarded' with fifth place.

t feels like people take Messi's genius for granted. He scored 41 goals in 45 games last season, and assisted 20 times throughout for Barcelona and Argentina.

The fact no other player has scored more goals than Messi in 2018 in all competitions within Europe's top five leagues says it all, for me.

He didn't win the Champions League or The World Cup, something that definitely makes an impact on Ballon d'Or standings, but he was the top scorer in the UCL last season, and once again smashed record after record.

Messi is arguably the most consistent player in world football, and he once again proved his worth last season with a handful of iconic performances against Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid, to name just a few.

Gary Lineker is the latest big name to make a point of Messi's achievements this year, and he may have saved one of his best tweets of 2018 to now.

"The leading scorer in Europe's top 5 leagues in 2018 was Messi with 47 goals." he said.

"The most assists made in Europe's top 5 leagues in 2018 was Messi with 26. He also scored directly from more free-kicks than anyone in the history of Europe's top 5 leagues. 5th in Ballon d'Or."

Thoughts on Lineker's tweet?

Let us know in the comments.

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Topics: Gary Lineker, SPORT, Football News, Football, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Balon d'Or