Nigerian footballer Mikel Obi confronts Messi, claiming the Argentine legend stole his award.
In 2005, during the FIFA U-20 World Cup, John Mikel Obi – a former Super Eagles midfielder – claimed that Lionel Messi had “stolen” the Golden Ball from him.
In the competition held in Netherlands, Nigeria competed against Argentina in the final round.
At the age of 18, Messi took charge from the penalty spot and struck two goals to win his team a final score of 2-1 thus clinching the trophy.
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The Golden Ball was bestowed upon Messi, who scored six goals and emerged as the leading scorer, while Mikel Obi seized the Silver Ball.
During a recent episode of his podcast Obi One, Mikel Obi mentioned how he and Messi received Golden Ball and Silver Ball awards respectively after Argentina defeated their team in the U-20 World Cup.
After the coronation was over, I confronted him saying “You took away my Golden Ball. It rightfully belonged to me because I performed better than you.”
With a smile, Messi informed me that he was not involved in the decision-making process and clarified that it is solely up to the Committee.
