🚨🎙️Reporter: “Jürgen, who do you think should win the 2026 Ballon d’Or — Mbappé, Yamal or Dembélé?”
🗣️Klopp: “For me, it is Messi. And honestly, I don’t understand why we are making this complicated.”
🎙️Reporter: “But Messi is 39. Mbappé won the World Cup Golden Boot, Yamal won the World Cup and Dembélé is the defending Ballon d’Or winner.”
🗣️Klopp: “I know. And they all had incredible seasons. But when you ask me who is the best footballer, I still say Messi.”
🎙️Reporter: “So you don’t think Yamal deserves it?”
🗣️Klopp: “Deserves to be mentioned? Absolutely. Deserves to win it? No. Winning trophies doesn’t automatically make you the best individual player.”
🎙️Reporter: “What about Mbappé?”
🗣️Klopp: “Kylian is phenomenal. But if we’re giving the Ballon d’Or simply because somebody scored the most goals, then let’s rename the award.”
🎙️Reporter: “And Dembélé?”
🗣️Klopp: “He already won it. Congratulations to him. But I don’t think you should vote for somebody simply because they won it last year.”
🎙️Reporter: “So you’re saying Messi should win over all three?”
🗣️Klopp: “Yes. Easily.”
🎙️Reporter: “Even after everything Yamal has done with Barcelona and Spain?”
🗣️Klopp: “Yes. Lamine has been unbelievable. But Messi is still Messi. If you give me one player for the biggest game tomorrow, I take Messi.”
🎙️Reporter: “So Mbappé, Yamal and Dembélé don’t deserve the Ballon d’Or?”
🗣️Klopp: “They deserve to be nominees. Messi deserves to win it. There is a difference.”
🎙️Reporter: “That statement is going to make a lot of people angry.”
🗣️Klopp: “Then they should be angry with my opinion, not with me.”
🎙️Reporter: “Final answer?”
🗣️Klopp: “Messi. Ballon d’Or. End of discussion.”
🎾 | 🎙️ رافائيل نادال (أحد أعظم لاعبي التنس عبر التاريخ):
🗣️ «حتى من دون أن أكون من مشجعي الأرجنتين، عندما رفع ليو ميسي كأس العالم، تأثرت لدرجة أنني ذرفت الدموع. كان ذلك بسبب مشاعر رؤية شخص عظيم بهذا القدر يحقق الشيء الذي حُرم منه، بعد أن عانى كثيرًا من أجله». 🥹❤️👏
انتصار ميسي بكأس العالم لمس قلوب الجميع! 🏆🇦🇷❤️
🚨🎙️Reporter: Michael, if you had to choose right now, who are you supporting for the Ballon d’Or Kylian Mbappé or Ousmane Dembélé?
🗣️Michael Oyese: Honestly? Neither of them.
🎙️Reporter: Neither Mbappé nor Dembélé?
🗣️Michael Oyese: Yes. And I know that will upset a lot of people, especially Madrid and PSG fans, but I have to be honest. If we are talking about the best individual player, I don’t think either of them deserves it this year.
🎙️Reporter: So who deserves it?
🗣️Michael Oyese: Lionel Messi.
Reporter: Messi? At 39?
🗣️Michael Oyese: Age shouldn’t decide the Ballon d’Or. Football should. Go back and watch the World Cup. For me, Messi was the best player at that tournament. The quality, the influence, the goals, the creativity he was still operating at a level most players can’t reach.
🎙️Reporter: But Mbappé had an incredible World Cup too.
🗣️Michael Oyese: I know. And Dembélé has his argument because of what he did with PSG. I’m not taking anything away from either player. But if you ask me who I believe should win the Ballon d’Or, my answer is Messi.
🎙️Reporter: And if Messi doesn’t win?
🗣️Michael Oyese: Then give it to Harry Kane. Simple.
🎙️Reporter: So you’re saying Mbappé and Dembélé shouldn’t win?
🗣️Michael Oyese: I’m saying if we’re judging the entire year and the biggest moments, I don’t put either of them above Messi. And if Messi is not the choice, Kane has a very strong case.
🎙️Reporter: That’s going to cause a serious argument among Madrid and PSG supporters.
🗣️Michael Oyese: That’s football. People don’t have to agree with me. But don’t ask me a question if you only want an answer that makes everyone happy.
🚨🎙️ Lionel Messi on the Ballon d’Or:
“I’m honestly very grateful to be nominated again. To see so many legends and former players supporting me, wanting me to win and rooting for me means a lot. I don’t take that love for granted.
“But if I’m being completely honest, I feel like I’ve done enough. I’ve won this award, I’ve achieved almost everything I dreamed of in football, and I don’t feel like I have anything left to prove.
“Of course, winning it would always be special, but at this stage of my career, I would actually be happier seeing a new player lift it. There are so many young talents who are doing incredible things and deserve their moment.
“If my name is called, I’ll appreciate it. But if it goes to someone else, I’ll be just as happy. Football is always moving forward, and sometimes it’s good to let the next generation have their moment.”
🎙️ Reporter: Leo, four goals tonight. An almost perfect performance. Who do you want to dedicate this night to?
🗣️ Lionel Messi: “My dad.”
“Honestly… it’s still really hard for me to talk about him. Everything happened so quickly. I still have that feeling that after every game, I’m going to pick up my phone, call him, and listen to what he has to say about what I’ve just done on the pitch.”
🎙️ Reporter: Was your dad on your mind during the game tonight?
🗣️ Messi: “Yeah. A lot.”
“He was there for me from the time I was just a kid chasing a football around Rosario. He took me to training, came with me to Barcelona, and was always there through the hardẽst moments.”
“People see the goals, the trophies, the Ballon d’Ors… but behind all of that, my family was always there. And my dad was a huge part of everything I achieved.”
🎙️ Reporter: After your fourth goal, you looked up to the sky. What did that moment mean to you?
🗣️ Messi: “I just wanted to tell him: Dad, I’m still here. I’m still playing football.”
“I know he would’ve been so happy watching this game. And knowing him, he probably still would’ve found something to tell me I could’ve done better.” (laughs)
“But tonight, it doesn’t matter whether I scored one goal or four.”
“I just wanted to dedicate this night to him.”
“My dad gave me so much in life.”
“So if he’s watching me from somewhere…”
“Dad, these four goals are for you. ❤️”
It’s honestly crazy to think that Messi decided to leave Europe at 35 because, in his mind, he had already completed football and wanted a more comfortable life in Miami with his family.
And nobody can blame him for that. He achieved everything there was to achieve. He doesn’t owe football or anyone else anything.
But if you look at it purely from our perspective as fans, just think about how much European football lost.
Messi is 39 years old now and he’s still one of the best players in the world. There’s still nobody like him. You could put him in La Liga or Serie A tomorrow and he would still do ridiculous things at this age.
So imagine what he could have done if, back in the summer of 2023, he had decided to stay in Europe instead of going to Miami.
Football lost so much with that decision, and as fans, we lost so much too. The greatness we’ve been watching from Messi in the United States could have been happening in Europe all these years as well.
And I think no one can doubt this opinion because this year’s World Cup proved that more than anything.