On Friday, FIFA announced the shortlist for the 2021 World Footballer of the Year 3. Although Messi has not performed well in Paris this season, FIFA's selection rules have put Messi on track to win the World Footballer of the Year award for the second time in three years.
In the three-person shortlist announced by FIFA, Messi and Levan will compete fiercely, while Salah can only play the role of accompanying the prince to study.
One thing that is good for Messi is that FIFA said in a statement that "the final winner will be selected based on their achievements from 8 October 2020 to 7 August 2021."" ”
After moving to Paris, Messi did not perform well, scoring just one goal in 11 Ligue 1 appearances. However, FIFA's statement means that Messi's performance during Paris will not be taken into account.
In the time period required by FIFA, Messi scored 43 goals in 47 appearances, provided 17 assists and participated in 60 goals. At the same time, Messi won the Copa del Rey for Barca and the Copa America with the Argentine national team, breaking the spell that the national team could not win the championship.
During this time period, Levan scored 51 goals and delivered 8 assists, one less goal than Messi. Salah scored 26 goals and delivered six assists, both of whom did not perform as well as Messi, meaning Messi is on track to win the World Footballer of the Year award again.
Since 2016, FIFA has established the World Footballer of the Year award, and Ronaldo is currently the player with the most awards twice, and after winning this award in 2019, Messi is expected to equal C Ronaldo's number of awards.
After winning the Ballon d'Or, Messi is expected to win the World Footballer of the Year for the second time, thus winning both major awards. Including the World Footballer of the Year, FIFA Ballon d'Or, Messi is expected to win the award for the 7th time. After missing the Ballon d'Or for two consecutive years, Levan may not be able to defend his title as World Footballer of the Year, leaving another regret.