Messi, you can't always get what you want.
What he wasnted was to be on the Ballon d'Or podium with fellow Barcelona forwards Neymar Jr. and Luis Suarez.
What he got was Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I am happy to be once more among the three best, and to go to another gala," Messi said.
"Happy to be with Neymar. Luis Suarez also deserved to be among the three best, but that is to take nothing away from Cristiano Ronaldo, who also deserved it."
Now, no one is up in arms about Cristiano Ronaldo's inclusion in the final three for the Ballon d'Or. Even on the wrong side of 30, the Portuguese winger is by any and all measures one of the world's elite footballers.
But Messi, the odds-on favorite to collect his fourth Ballon d'Or since the award became the trophy for best player in the world, just wants to have his cake and eat it too.
He, Neymar and Suarez formed maybe the most formidable attacking trio in the history of the sport last season, cruising to the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League without really being challenged. The trio scored a record 122 goals between them.
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
