3 reasons Messi could still win Ballon D'Or despite Copa America heartache

Lionel Messi has had a disappointing campaign in the Copa America tournament and many believe it could hinder the Argentine's chances of winning Ballon D'Or.

The 32-year-old has come under huge criticisms for not winning a silverware for his country despite his incredible success for Barcelona.

But Messi's consistency with Barca last season could earn him his sixth Ballon D'Or award ahead of contenders like Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Here are three reasons why Messi could still be crowned Ballon D'Or winner for the sixth time in his career:

1. He helped Barcelona win La Liga

Messi scored an incredible 36 goals and created 13 assists that helped Barcelona win the La Liga title and nobody in Europe's top five leagues scored more.

The charismatic captain produced brilliant results with Blaugrana as they dominated the league from start to finish, recording just two losses in the whole of the 2018-19 campaign.

2. He was consistent

No player in Europe was more consistent than Messi in whole of last season. The Argentine either scored or assisted in nearly all of Barcelona's La Liga games last campaign.

He even scored against all of the teams he played against in the Champions League except Inter Milan in their group game.

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3. He was one of Argentina's top performers in Copa America

Messi only managed to score one goal and provided two assists at the just concluded Copa America competition but he was the key man in the Albiceleste squad.

He won four dribbles and created 1.8 key passes on average per game and he also turned out to be the player with most key passes and successful dribbles in their semi final clash against Brazil.

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