Messi !

has messi become the most underrated player in the world?

40 goals in 40 la liga and CL appearances last season with 14 assists...lol

These things are always dictated by world cup success during world cup years. Messi once again underperformed for his country. Had he not then he might have finished a lot higher.

Complacency breeds contempt.

You can see the influence of the World Cup on the voting system looking at the allocated points totals, Griezmann being MOTM in the final is the only possible justification for him being 3rd.

Considering the weight the world cup had on the standings I'm actually surprised Hazard was 8th. That is about right IMO but with this voting system, 2nd best player at the WC, he should've cracked the top 5 tbh.

Voter fatigue unfortunately, people love new stories and have been looking for someone other than Ronaldo or Messi to win it for years, Argentina and Portugal struggling at the world cup just gave them the chance they were looking for

If this was really about the best footballer on the planet in any given year, Messi would have collected so many balloons by now he'd have floated off into space.

40+ goals and 10+ assists is considered extraordinary for most footballers...for Messi that's just a normal season.

That's excluding his build up play.

It sure makes you scratch your 'ead !

It does make a mockery of the whole thing, doesn't it. There's no world cup next year - so expect Messi to suddenly develop into the world's best player again.