One key rule change which allowed Lionel Messi to dominate Ballon d’Or over the years

Lionel Messi is on the brink of winning his sixth Ballon d’Or if reports from Spain are to be believed. Doing so on December 2 will make the Argentine the most succesful individual in the history of the award. However, all that was made possible by one key change almost twenty-five years ago. 

Lionel Messi is on the cusp of history with the Argentine one of the favourites to win the 2019 Ballon d’Or. The Barcelona ace is up for the award against Virgil van Dijk, who are the two leading candidates from a list of thirty finalists.

While Van Dijk’s win would hand him his first-ever Ballon d’Or, a win for Messi would see him bag his historic sixth trophy. However, had it not been for a change in 1995, he would not have been able to lay claim to even one of his five awards!

Prior to 1995, Ballon d’Or was an exclusive award given to the best European players in the world. As such, players from all other continents were ineligible when the shortlists were drawn. Messi became one of the biggest benefactors from the rule change, which called for universal inclusivity, as he went on to win the award five times.

The Argentina skipper holds the record jointly with Cristiano Ronaldo for most wins in the history of the award. He could claim his sixth win, should he beat his competition for the 2019 Ballon d’Or.