 Welcome back to the Sportsmax Zone. Lionel Messi's historic Ballon d'Or accumulation was extended to eighth with the Argentine copying the award for the 2022-2023 season. Prior reports of that Messi was tipped to win were proven factual when the award was presented in a ceremony in Paris on Monday, with Messi beating 29 other nominees including trouble winner Erling Halland, World Cup finalist Kylian Mbappe plus three of his World Cup-winning teammates. Messi led Argentina to their third world title in December last year, scoring seven goals with three assists, while scoring 21 goals in all competitions with Paris-Sacha-Math. Joining us to discuss this historic moment is former Trinidad and Tobago defender Brent Sancho. Good afternoon, Brent. How are you? I'm great, Mariah. Good afternoon to everyone and set. I'm Liglanz and Ricardo. And to all your viewers across the various platforms. Thanks for that. So Brent, I'll start by asking you about Messi winning his eighth Ballon d'Or. Was this expected? That's the question. Nothing is expected when you come to Ballon d'Or because I'm going to use a word that we will have to use for most of this afternoon and it's called subjective. This is a subjective test of human beings and their opinions on whether or not this is the greatest player for a season of football. The reason why I'm saying what I'm saying, the criteria behind a Ballon d'Or is as said, of course throughout the season and Messi's main body came at the World Cup. Do I have a problem with him winning? No, I don't. In fact, I'm fine with it. However, I think the problem with who is the winner comes down to the criteria to choose the winner. So I've said all I have to say, no problem. Messi wins, sentimental, shed a tear or two, maybe his last one. However, I think we have to look at this from what it is, it is a subjective trophy given every single year and every year we will always have a debate as to others who probably should have won. Right. So, of course, congratulations to Messi, but there has been this discussion where people felt as if the Ballon d'Or was given to him this season, mainly because of his accomplishment in the World Cup. You know, a lot of analysts debating the fact that it's based on your body of work. He didn't do as well as we expected him to do for PSG, but of course for the World Cup he was brilliant. So many feeling as if Erlen Halland from Manchester City, Brent, should have received that award because he was brilliant, but then we can think that Erlen Halland didn't even participate in the World Cup. So I'd love to hear where you stand on that debate. Well, from being from the Caribbean and of course having many subjects in school, some points would more throughout the term than others. I think we could all agree to that and the World Cup is worth more than other things and it's very simple. The World Cup is the pinnacle of football. So it will weigh heavy as it relates to giving the world's best player. That's why I go back to say the criteria for the Ballon d'Or is a bit skewed because at the end of the day, when I lay down Messi, who is arguably the best footballer in the world because I'm very sure if we put a ball at Lionel Messi's foot and we put a ball at Erlen Halland's foot, very quickly we would know who is the better footballer. So the World Cup as I said cries a lot more than any other competition and so because of that, I can see why he was handed the of course Ballon d'Or. Look, there is significant and well-constructed arguments to suggest that Erlen Halland probably could have won. But again, I go back to the fact that this is a subjective trophy given to a player from journalists around the world. Yeah, and we have to talk about the number of Ballon d'Or that he's won. He is the highest winner where this trophy, this award is concerned. His ace Ballon d'Or Cristiano Ronaldo is next in line. He has three less than Messi. He wasn't even nominated this year. He wasn't even considered Brent. So, you know, it really speaks to the caliber of player that Messi is. Is he the goat? Yeah, that's I try to stay away from that. We too, but yeah, but I understand. Look, it's hard to it's hard to argue against it. I'm a huge fan of Ronaldo of Brazil and what he's able to do with a ball at his feet. And again, I always will have said this many times on sports marks. I go in the eye test and my eye test says to me that Ronaldo of Brazil is the best player I have ever seen played the sport. But then with my same eye test, I would suggest to you over a period of time, what Lionel Messi has been able to do every single year consistently and show me different things from a footballer, I may have to suggest to you he's a goat. But I do also put a caveat next to that. I've never really seen much of Pelé. I've never I've seen a bunch of Maradona and I may argue before they will come that Maradona was there and they are both. But what I've saw from Ronaldo, I think what he was able to do, he is the best I've ever seen. But from a good argument perspective, I may I may have to throw my heart in the ring for Neil and Messi being the greatest player of all time. Yeah, Brent, I just want to be clear here. Who would Brent Sancho have chosen for this ball on door? I would have chosen Messi. And I go back to the point that I made. I do think that the World Cup, I do think that the World Cup is heavily and I go back to the eye test. If I put a ball at Messi's feet and I put a ball on Haaland's feet, I would choose Lionel Messi every single day. And if you're asking me, who is the best footballer in that year, I would say Lionel Messi. Yeah, I just wanted to be clear of who you would have chosen. I understand you saying that it is a subjective decision and whatever the case might be. So know that we are clear on that one. And by the way, I completely agree with you. I would have chosen Messi as well. I am completely on the side of the argument that says the World Cup carries more weight than everything else that has happened in the rest of the year. So if we're doing well in everything else, you get a thousand points. And by the way, I'm a tennis man and I believe in that type of ranking system. Then for doing what Messi did at the World Cup, you get 2,000 or 3,000 points. And that makes him the winner as far as I'm concerned. There are those, though, who are making the argument, and I want you to respond to this, that Erling Hallen should not be penalized for not being part of a national team that was able to even get to the World Cup and perform on that stage. Yeah, but that's not, that is a wrong narrative. And I'll tell you why. I could make the same argument for several puts. I could argue the fact that PSG was an absolute peddler. Messi was asked to play there. He transferred to a team that was going the wrong direction. And I'm very sure if Leonardo Messi had stayed at Barcelona, we may be having a different conversation. He may have done very well there, but they were also in better shape. So if you're picking six or nine, half a dozen or the other, I hear that argument. But I go back to what you said, Ricardo. Does no one else in World Football could have scripted the World Cup better than Leo Messi do? Does no one can tell me that without Leonardo Messi, Argentina would have won that World Cup, they would not have. And for me, yes, he had a dire game against Saudi Arabia in the first game, but putting that aside, he took Argentina on his back and took them to the World Cup final and won it. The pressure he had going into it, the conversations about he's not good as Maradona because he hasn't won a World Cup, or he's not good as Pele because he hasn't won a World Cup. He decimated all of that by putting in what I consider a goat type performance to win a World Cup. Now I'm saying this as a Brazilian fan and it pains me, but it's a fact. That is exactly what happened. So it's very difficult to suggest otherwise. Look, I hear all the other arguments around who else should have won. But in a year where Leonardo Messi finally gets over that hurdle to win a World Cup, there would be, you would be, you'd have to be absolutely crazy to give it to anyone else. It would go completely against the grain. And if you look at the Balando Willens over the last eight to 10 years, that is a conversation, the argument that everyone would have. And that's a fact and that's why he's won it. Yeah, you know, Brent, it's astonishing to me how many Lionel Messi haters are around and so many bad things have been said about Messi. But I think part of Messi's problem is that there's a general feeling that there has been favoritism shown to him. Now we place a lot of emphasis as we have established on what happens at the World Cup. In 2010, Andrés Iniesta won the World Cup with Spain and Messi was still the Balandoor. So I think part of the narrative coming from the Messi haters, if I may attach that label to them, is that there have been years when he should not have won and he won. And here's a 2010 representation that I can give you that there was a World Cup winner, his Barcelona teammate who had a splendid year but somehow in 2010, Iniesta's World Cup triumph didn't translate into a Balandoor award. And I would throw the Lewandowski argument into that as well, and I would suggest that he should have won that year as well. But the point that the matter is and the point that I'm making, the criteria for the Balandoor certainly does not hold through as to what it says. And because of that, I'm sticking with the guns of the fact that we are talking about Lionel Messi that has arguably won his last ever World Cup in terms of being able to win another World Cup. I'm not sure if he'll partake in the others, of course, whether or not his longevity gives him that. And of course, being able to do it in the manner that he did, I think all it does, and now people would argue, well, that is a sentiment of push towards it and that has something to do more with inner feelings. And again, I go back to my original argument, it's subjective. So yes, I do agree with you, Lance, that Iniesta maybe should have won in that year and I will even throw in Lewandowski on top of that. But this particular year that we're talking about, Lionel Messi has won it, it's very, very difficult to have a counter argument against that. You would have much in arguments, but a counter argument, I don't think so. Yeah, and we have to remember his extra time goal in the final that helped them win on an afternoon when Mbappe scored three times and Messi's impact on the final was, I wanna say unbelievable, but I can't because it's Lionel Messi. But we have to remember the final and what he did in the final. That's indelibly printed in my mind. Yeah, and look, at the end of the day, it's the main reason why he's won. There's no other argument around it other than the kind of World Cup he won because he's come in after so many failures at the World Cup level. He's failed and there's no doubt about it. He's gone. He went high in it one or two. He got to a finals, didn't play particularly well with Argentina. And here he is now, arguably his last opportunity to win a World Cup. He comes up with that type of performance. And I would add as well, Lance, behind the type of domestic season that many would say any had, in terms of very poor talks of a rift in the dressing room and all sorts of things. Of course, it's released from Barcelona to PSU, played out in public and all those sorts of situation. There is no one in World Football would have said to me, Lionel Messi is gonna go on and dominate the World Cup, have a massive finals and win the World Cup for Argentina. No one would have said that because of the lead up to it. So yes, I think when you put all of that into play, the argument for Lionel Messi winning the Ballon d'Or is quite a solid one. Yeah, you actually said, Brent, no one would have said that, but Mariah did. I did. Yeah, I don't go trying to make better at Mariah because somehow she comes up with all the right results. So I say far, I say clear. Everyone else besides Mariah. He really never bets. He never bets on me or bets my money. No, he never went for it. Thank you. But it was that type of situation. Look, as I said, Lance, Mariah, Ricardo, I hear the other arguments, they're fine, but it doesn't count to the Lionel Messi argument. I've seen many discuss it and talk about it. But what I've looked at is what he's been able to do at the highest pinnacle. Yes, Holland has done the World Cup, but that's the pinnacle, that is what it's done. The reason why we don't talk about Georgie Best being the greatest player to ever play in the sport, he's never played in a World Cup, and that's one of the arguments that he's had against him. And that is one of the reasons why we've had the kind of conversation around it. When you look at the type of winners throughout history, they've all had something significant in that they've been able to do well on that stage. Yeah, well, Brent, you know, there was also a bit of history for the Caribbean on the woman side. We had the reggae girl's captain, Khadija Bonishaw, she was among the nominees for the Ballon d'Or Femini Award, which was eventually won by FC Barcelona's Atana Bonmati. So, Brent, even though she didn't win, this is a great achievement for the 26-year-old. Oh, it's a remarkable achievement and what she's been able to do throughout her career for Jamaica. I mean, remember her playing from the very inception before, of course, the different recruits coming in, she cried for Jamaica for many, many years and then her move to Manchester City, some thought it was maybe a step too far for her, still being able to cement and do well from that perspective. And more importantly, more significantly, Mara, a young lady that was really groomed, both, and developed on the island. I think that is significant, because we talk so much about development of young players on the Caribbean islands and efficiencies that we have, of course, as it relates to the development of a player and the necessity for them to move overseas as quickly as possible so they can be developed. But here comes someone that is nominated, that was solely developed on the island. That is a tremendous achievement, not just to her, but for the coaches and the well-wishers and the people behind her in Jamaica for to, of course, make that accomplishment. Yeah, and she plays for Manchester City. The winner, Atana Bonmati, she plays for Barcelona. So, Khadija Bonmati's show, despite coming from the Caribbean, has really represented at the highest level. And I won't be surprised, Brent, if she cups the award in the coming years. Yeah, I won't be surprised as well. I mean, many may feel that obviously, you know, playing for Jamaica, where she may not have an opportunity to possibly win a World Cup, might be one of the stumbling blocks. But I think the main fact that it's a programme that keeps building once, of course, the players stay on the field, then I think she does have a chance. She's a talented individual. There's no doubt in what she's able to do. And there's nothing that should stop her from doing that and progressing moving forward. And I would add to the fact that there are other young players in Haiti, et cetera, that are following a similar trend upwards, and if given the opportunity, could start placing themselves in that sort of environment. And I do wish, at some point, that within the Caribbean, that all of us in the Caribbean start understanding and respecting the fact that if we put a little bit of support, help, funding towards the development of footballers, young athletes, et cetera, we can achieve more. And we've seen it, obviously, you've seen Boots and Brown Lara, et cetera, but we don't do enough. We are very quick to point the finger at a poor administration and poor this, but it needs one thing, one thing's in common, the right sort of investment and the right people around the investment to develop young talent. Well, exactly what you said, Brent. I want to thank you so much for stopping by on the Sportsmax Zone. We'll talk to you again very soon. No problem, guys. Have a great one. Brent Sancho there. He's our Sportsmax Analyst. He's a former TNT International. He's former Sportsminister. A lot going on there for Brent. Let's take a break.