Messi vs Ronaldo: Paulo Dybala Strengthens His GOAT Stance After Messi’s 8th Ballon d’Or Prize

• Paulo Dybala maintains that Lionel Messi deserves his recent Ballon d'Or triumph
• Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d'Or awards won by an individual
• The AS Roma star also weighed in on the eternal Messi vs Ronaldo GOAT debate

Paulo Dybala expressed his belief that Lionel Messi was deserving of his record-breaking eighth Ballon d'Or award, hailing his fellow Argentine as the greatest footballer to have ever graced the sport.

Messi clinched the prestigious Golden Ball prize, prevailing over Manchester City's Erling Haaland and PSG's Kylian Mbappe at the 67th edition of the awards. However, controversies have arisen regarding the legitimacy of his win.

Dybala, a member of Argentina's World Cup-winning team, firmly asserted that Messi was the standout player during the year under review, reiterating his status as the greatest in the history of the sport.

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"Messi plays whole different football. It’s hard to even not give him the Ballon d’Or’s in the years he didn’t win it, because he’s the best since he started. At the World Cup, he cleared all doubts, we know he is the best in history and will be the best in history when he retires."

Elaborating on the reasons behind the Inter Miami superstar's deserving accolade, Dybala, who currently plays for Serie A side AS Roma, emphasized the World Cup as the paramount tournament in global football, thereby underscoring why his compatriot rightfully deserves the award.

"For some people he was missing the World Cup, and what he did and when he won it, apparently he didn’t deserve it according to them. I understand some people could have bias on certain players but we have to be objectives," he said as quoted by All About Argentina.

"There was a World Cup year and the World Cup is the most important competition in the world. For me it was undebatable. Same goes for Dibu," he added.

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Dybala's stance on Ronaldo vs Messi GOAT debate

Dybala's unwavering position in the ongoing GOAT (Greatest of All Time) discourse isn't surprising, despite his three-season stint with Messi's longstanding rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.

During their tenure at Juventus, the pair celebrated two Serie A titles and secured several domestic cups.

According to GOAL, the 29-year-old, whose allegiance in the perpetual Messi vs. Ronaldo debate evidently leans towards his national hero, jokingly mentioned to Ronaldo that he "hated him as a kid."

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Xavi speaks on Messi's 2010 Ballon d'Or prize

Sports Brief also reported that Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez recently reflected on the 2010 Ballon d'Or award secured by Lionel Messi.

Despite his then-Barca teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta both winning the 2010 World Cup, Messi emerged as the recipient of the prestigious prize.

Prior to his team's match against Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena, Xavi delved into the matter of the Ballon d'Or, expressing his belief that the Argentine rightfully deserved the accolade at that time.